


12 Days of Snowbarry - '18

by shyesplease



Series: 12 Days of Snowbarry [3]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: 12 Days of Snowbarry, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-09-17 00:02:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16963983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shyesplease/pseuds/shyesplease
Summary: Counting down the days until Christmas with some Snowbarry goodness. Seasonal one-shots.





	1. a unicorn christmas

" _Caitlin_ ," Barry practically whined, his tone and demeanor defeated, "what do you want?"

The doctor shook her head for what felt like the millionth time that day. "Barry, I told you," she said, looking at him pointedly. "I don't want anything for Christmas."

"But I have to get you _something_ ," he insisted. "It's our first Christmas together with, you know, us actually being together." He sighed, putting his hands on his hips. "I want it to be special."

Her lips quirked upwards, her eyes softening as she stepped into his personal space, wrapping her arms around his lean frame and burrowing her head underneath his chin. "Just being with you will make it as special as it needs to be," she told him, squeezing him just a little bit tighter afterwards to help get her message across.

The tension in his body released, contentedness instead spreading through his bones as he held her just as tightly back. His lips pressed into her hair, his nose instantly picking up the cherry scent of her shampoo, easing him into an even more serene state as he nuzzled his head down against hers. "You're all I need too," he told her, "but that still doesn't change the fact that you already gotten me a present though. It feels unfair that you wouldn't get one."

She detached herself from her position enough to look him in the eye. "Yes, but I got that gift for you before we were together. I got it back in April."

He shrugged. "Still, I want to get you something. You said not to get you any jewelry or anything too expensive, so I don't know what else to get you."

Her hands reached up, threading themselves into his thick hair. "If you must, I'm sure that pretty head of yours will think of something."

"You think I'm pretty?" he asked, smirk stretching along his lips, his hands discreetly slipping under her blouse and brushing against the bare skin there.

Caitlin's eyes grew a tad darker. "Very pretty," she confirmed, her own hands wrapping themselves around his neck before leaning up and pressing a searing kiss against his mouth.

"Mmm," Barry hummed out pleasantly against her lips as they stopped for air. "So, what do you want for Christmas?"

Her head shot back. "Barry!" she hollered, annoyed, as she detangled herself from her boyfriend to go back to her computer.

"Oh, don't act like that wasn't you trying to seduce me to forget about your present."

Her posture straightened. "I would never do such a thing."

Barry snorted. "You never let us fool around at the lab. Why would you suddenly be okay with it now?" he asked, looking down at her deliberately, knowing he was right, especially when she refused to look him in the eyes.

"Can you please just drop it?" she asked, pleading with him.

"I will," he told her, and she sighed in relief, "if you tell me something to buy you."

"Urghh," she groaned, closing her eyes in frustration. "Fine! Fine!" she hollered. "Get me a...unicorn!"

Barry scrunched up his face. "Unicorn? Wouldn't that be considered expensive?"

"I imagine they would be," she said, "you know, if they were real."

He rolled his eyes. "Come on, Cait. Be serious here."

"I am being serious. I told you what I want. Stop asking."

Barry let out a huge breath in defeat. "Fine, fine. But you'll be the one laughing when I get Cisco to find an Earth where unicorns exist!"

Caitlin merely rolled her eyes and ignored him.

…

Caitlin woke up to the feeling of someone combing their fingers through her hair. Knowing it could only be Barry, she sighed out blissfully. "Merry Christmas," she mumbled as she groggily opened her eyes, her heart catching at the sight of him, in bed, next to her. She still couldn't believe she got lucky enough for this to be her life now.

"Merry Christmas, sleepyhead," he greeted, an amused but adoring smile pulling at his lips before he leaned down to press a small kiss on her lips.

"What time is it?" she then asked..

"11am."

Her eyes bulged; she never slept in that late. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" she wondered, unsuccessfully fighting back a yawn.

Barry chuckled. "Because you don't get enough sleep as it is," he told her, reaching out to caress her cheek. "Think of it as a Christmas present."

"Mmm," she hummed out, contently leaning into his warm touch. "So no unicorn, eh?"

He smirked, his eyebrows playfully jumping. "I didn't say that," he said as he got up from their bed and jogged out of their room.

"Please don't tell me you brought a unicorn into our apartment!" she hollered, sitting up in her bed.

She heard him let out a hearty laugh from down the hall, which did not ease her suspicions one bit. While Barry was usually a rational guy, sometimes his romantic gestures knew no bounds.

A moment later, he came back in with a bag that had snowflakes on the side and was filled to the brim with red tissue paper. He jumped on the bed and gleefully handed the present to her. "Open it," he told her excitedly.

She eyed her boyfriend, finding his childlike enthusiasm adorable, but it nevertheless left her apprehensive. She quickly plucked the tissue paper out of the bag to eventually find, not only a stuffed unicorn, but a stuffed unicorn dressed in a Flash costume. She giggled as she took it out.

"The red costume kind of clashes with his colorful hair," she joked, her fingers teasing through the unicorn's rainbow-colored tail.

Barry chuckled. "You can take the outfit off," he told her. "But when I saw it as an option in the Build-a-Bear store, I couldn't not get it, you know?"

Caitlin held the animal against her chest, lightly hugging it. "No, I love it. It'll remind me of you even more when I look at it."

The speedster smiled, his eyes watching her affectionately. "And if for whatever reason I'm out of town, or you just need to hear it…" he said trailing off so that he could squeeze the unicorn's paw.

A voice then spoke from the bear - Barry's recorded voice. "I love you, Cait."

The doctor immediately locked eyes with her boyfriend, her eyes growing watery at the rush of affection and joy that was coursing through her. "I love it," she told him, holding the animal even closer to her before reaching over and kissing Barry tenderly.

"I'm glad you like it," Barry said as they seperated. "I know you weren't serious when you told me to get you a unicorn, but..."

She giggled. "It's perfect, honestly. But I guess this means you and Cisco couldn't find an Earth with a unicorn then?"

Barry shook his head. "Actually, we found some on Earth 13, but, believe it or not, unicorns are not the friendliest creatures in the multiverse…"

"Oh?"

"Let's just say that it was a good thing I could run fast," he admitted with a chuckle. "So it seemed like the safer option to go with the stuffed animal, plus it's more practical to have than a real one."

"Way more practical," she agreed with a lazy smile, her face gravitating towards Barry as they shared another kiss, which he had no complaints about. "And definitely safer, since I doubt Snowbarry will be attacking anyone anytime soon."

Barry raised an eyebrow, his lips pursed as he tried not to laugh. "Snowbarry, huh? That's the name you're giving it?"

"I think it's cute," she said with a playful pout. "It's a mesh of our names, and it sounds adorable and magical like unicorns are supposed to be."

His eyes crinkled as he looked at her with soft, tender eyes. " _You're_ cute," he told her, taking the stuffed animal out of her hands to set it aside. He then crawled on top of her, making her lie back down on their bed. "And you're adorable, and magical, and simply an amazingly beautiful being," he spoke in between peppering kisses along her neck. He then lifted his head to look straight in her eyes. "And I love you," he told her sincerely.

Her hands reached up to trace his face, her chest constricting with how much love, care and devotion she had for this man. "I love you too," she told him back wholeheartedly before guiding his face back down to hers, but eventually ending it with a groan. "We have to meet Cisco and Cynthia soon; I have to start getting ready."

Barry jumped to his feet, tugging at her hands to help her up. "Then let me help you with that," he said suggestively with a playful smirk, leading a giggling Caitlin to the bathroom.


	2. black ice

In hindsight, it had been foolish. It had been raining all day and the night brought the temperatures down below freezing. Her mother had told her she could've stayed the night, but Caitlin was adamant about returning to Central City as soon as she could. The doctor didn't expect the whole road to be covered in black ice though. She didn't expect a wild animal to run in front of her on the road. And she definitely didn't expect to skid into the snowbank nearby. But here she was.

She let out a sigh, getting her bearings together. She wasn't hurt. She didn't even think her car got damaged. But nevertheless, she was stuck, not being able to backup or move her car in the slightest way.

Caitlin reached for her purse in the passenger seat, grabbing her cellphone. She called Cisco, but it only continued to ring before going to voicemail - three times. "Great," she muttered to herself. She really didn't want to have to call Barry, only because she knew he was probably already sleeping since he had work the next day at the CCPD, but she didn't have enough gas to keep her heat on for much longer.

Scrolling to his name, she called Barry. It rang a couple times before it picked up. "Hello? Cait? Are you alright?" he asked, his voice groggy but rushed. She felt bad for waking him up, but just picturing him sitting up in his bed, hair disheveled and eyes bleary, made her heart flutter in a way she was not proud of.

"I'm fine, Barry," she quickly reassured the speedster. " _However_...my car slid into a snowbank on the side of the road and now I'm stuck."

" _What?_ " he said, his tone more alert than previously. "Are-are you sure you're okay?" She heard his mattress springs creak, as if he was getting out of his bed. "Where are you? I'll come get you."

She bit her lip, still feeling guilty for waking him up at such a late hour. "I'm on route 19, about a mile or two away from the welcome sign for Central City."

"I'll be there soon," he told her, his voice determined and the sleepiness no longer tangible in his words, before he hung up the phone.

Caitlin blew out a breath as she exited her car. Almost immediately, she recognized Barry's lightning illuminating the darkened road, but it soon fizzled as the speedster himself slid on the black ice, much like her car did, smashing right into the pile of snow nearby.

Her eyes widened after witnessing the sight. "Barry!" she hollered, scurrying as best as she could to go to his aid.

"I'm okay. I'm okay," he instantly told her as she reached his side. He sat up, revealing that his whole body was now caked with snow.

Caitlin couldn't help it, she giggled at the sight. But Barry was a good sport about it, since he laughed along with it too. "Here," she said, extending her hands for the speedster to grab.

He took her offered hands, using her to help stand back up. However, as he stood up, putting weight on his legs, the speedster yelped. "Ow, ow, owwww," he let out, hiking his one leg up off the ground, holding onto her arm extra carefully to better balance himself. "Maybe I'm not as 'okay' as I thought."

The doctor frowned. "Let's get you to the car so I can get a better look," she told him, slowly moving them both back to her vehicle safely, where she then opened the back seat and instructed Barry to sit there.

She then popped open her trunk, taking out a bag that contained some first aid essentials before carefully walking back to where Barry was. She knelt down on the cold road, her knee digging into the pavement, but she soldiered on as she tugged up the black sweatpants he had been wearing. She immediately was met with a nasty gash along his leg.

"It looks like you just banged up your leg when you slid," she told the speedster after assessing the damage fully, beginning to attend to the wound, applying antiseptic and gauze.

"Nothing's broken?"

She shook her head. "Thankfully no, you just have a long cut along your leg and some pretty nasty bruises. I suggest we sit here for an hour until it heals better," she instructed.

Barry sighed, running his hands through his hair. "Sorry, Cait," he apologized. "I was just so worried about you and was trying to get here as soon as possible that I didn't take in my surroundings, and now you still can't get home."

"I told you I was alright," she told him, pulling his pant's leg back down before standing up.

"I know," the speedster admitted, shrugging slightly. "But you'd probably say that if weren't alright too - and I didn't know which it might've been."

Caitlin sighed, but nodded understandingly, knowing that what he said was something she'd certainly do. "Well, at least now I have company," she optimistically said.

Barry smiled. "Here," he said, gently scooting himself to the next seat, allowing her room to sit.

She gracefully took the offered seat and closed the car door, wanting to keep as much of the cold air out as possible. She then took her key fob out of her pocket and hit the button that turned the car on remotely, springing the heat to come to life and slowly permeate through the vehicle.

"So," Barry began conversationally, "how was your mom's?"

Caitlin groaned.

"That well, huh?" Barry dryly mused.

The doctor let out a humorless laugh as she leaned back against the car seat. "Same old, same old, really," she shared, shrugging her shoulders with a minor sigh. "It was actually going pretty well until she started asking me if I was seeing anyone and if I was ever going to get married again…"

"Eek," Barry said with a wince, "I hate that conversation. You'd think people would realize by now that we don't want to talk about it," he mused with a light-hearted chuckle.

"Mmhmm," she absentmindedly hummed, her eyes focusing on the seat in front of her, but her mind was elsewhere, thinking. "You know...if I were to get married again, I would want it to be in the winter."

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Barry bob his head. "I always liked the thought of a winter wedding," he expressed. "Maybe even something right before or after Christmas - have the whole place decked out in Christmas decorations and lights."

She turned to him, enthusiastically smiling. "Yeah, and maybe have it outside, right as the sun sets, and have twinkly lights lit around the altar."

"Snow on the ground."

"Maybe it even starts to snow as the ceremony is in progress," she added with a jump in her eyebrows.

Barry chuckled. "The guests would freeze their asses off!"

"We would buy heaters! We wouldn't be that cruel!"

The speedster opened his mouth, but stopped, his eyes catching hers, searching for something deep in her own before his lips pursed, trying to fight off an overeager smile. "Uh," he started, clearing his throat. "Uh, we could even get a Santa to be the officator."

Caitlin belted out a hysterical laugh, shaking her head vehemently no. "I think that's taking things maybe just a _little_ too far."

He watched her, his eyes so fond, before he laughed too. "Yeah...you're probably right about that. But, ooh, maybe we could hire a band and _they_ can all wear Santa outfits, or just other Christmasy/holiday costumes."

"And they would only exclusively play Christmas songs!"

"Yes!" Barry hollered gleefully, she could see that the speedster was really getting into it. "This would literally be the best wedding ever!"

Caitlin chuckled as she agreed, but it soon died out, the high of the possibilities fading. "It _would_ be a pretty amazing wedding, if it were to ever happen…"

Barry furrowed his brows. "It could," he told her, trying to reassure her, but the doctor only sadly shook her head.

"I don't think I'll ever get married again," she told her friend with a wobbly smile. "But that's okay."

Her friend frowned, the sadness in his eyes so pronounced and profound. "Cait, you're one of the most beautiful people I know - inside and out! You're intelligent and witty and funny and caring and devoted and-"

" _Barry_."

He sighed. "My point is: who wouldn't want you?"

The doctor let out a short self-deprecating laugh at the irony right there. "It isn't so much people not wanting me...but more so me not wanting anyone but-" she cut herself off, realizing what she was about to say.

His head decked down, those mesmerizing emerald eyes of his looking over her gently. "But?" Barry repeated, prompting her to finish the sentence.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she looked up at Barry, watching this man she's known and admired and trusted and, yes, _loved_ , for years. She licked her lips, taking a deep breath. "But someone I can't have," she supplied quietly, her gaze on his persistent - too scared to look away, almost wanting him to figure her layered confession just so that she didn't have to hide it anymore.

The speedster eventually nodded. "Yeah, I know that feeling pretty well by now too," he said, before reaching his arm across her shoulders, pulling her closer to his side. "But us hopeless lubs must unite," he joked, the hand around her rubbing against her arm absentmindedly.

"We must," she agreed, giggling briefly as she let herself relax against him, her head against his collarbone and his leaning down against hers. She could feel him smile rather than see it as his hand played with a few strands of her hair.

"What if I have a proposition," he softly stated, the gust of his breath tickling the top of her head.

"Yeah? What is it?" she curiously asked in the full comfort of his warmth and security. She could honestly fall asleep so easily like this; it was tempting.

He cleared his throat. "Well...I say that if by the time we're both 33, that if we're not seeing anyone...we should, we should just marry each other..."

The car fell silent as the words 'we' and 'marry' played on a constant loop in her ears, but she was more confused than anything. "Wait, but Barry," she started, reluctantly pulling herself back to look at him properly, "we turn 33 in only a few months."

"Right," he acknowledged, before continuing on. "I mean, why wait? And I mean, we don't have to get married right then and there. We can just start planning our wedding then. We'd have enough time to plan one for a winter wedding, right? I mean, from what we were rattling off earlier, we already have a lot of ideas..." he said, trailing off to look at her. "So?"

A small smile graced her face, a thankfulness spreading throughout. "Honestly, Barry, I appreciate that, but…it's pretty crazy."

His eyebrows pinched as he nodded, letting a dry chuckle tumble from his lips. "Yeah...yeah I guess that is a bit crazy."

"Loony," Caitlin lightly added.

He smirked. "Absurd."

"Ludicrous."

"Insane," they both ended up saying simultaneously, which resulted in them falling against each other in a fit of giggles.

It was only after their laughter died down that Caitlin realized that she had hit Barry's bad leg. "Oh, Barry! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hit your sore leg!"

The speedster looked down at the affected leg, looking nonplussed as he lifted it and moved it around. "Actually, it's not hurting anymore. I guess it's healed now."

"Well that's good," she said in relief.

"You ready for me to take you home finally?"

She eagerly nodded, needing this rollercoaster of a day to end. "Yes, please."

So after the duo clambered out of her car, Barry lifted her in his arms and safely ran her all the way to her apartment front door.

"Thanks again, Barry," she told him as he set her down.

He smiled, waving his hand at it. "Us hopeless lubs need to stick together, right?"

She laughed, remembering back on their earlier conversation when he said something similar. "Yes, we do," she answered.

"I think we should work on that."

She scrunched her face up, puzzled. "Work on what?"

"The people we can't have."

A coil of dread circled in her stomach. She swallowed down the unfortunate feeling. "Yeah...maybe."

Barry nodded. "Because I want to have a winter wedding," he told her. "And I want you to have it too."

She was touched by her friend's neverending support, but the statement also brought another wave of sadness to wash over her. "You should go get her, Barry. I'm sure she's just waiting for you too."

"Yeah?" he asked breathily, half trepid and half curious.

Her heart clenched. "Yeah..."

"I will then," he stated resolutely, before taking a step towards her. Caitlin assumed it was for a hug but was caught off guard when his lips connected gently with hers.

As he pulled back, she watched him with wide eyes. "What was that?" she asked in nearly a whisper.

He meekly smiled as he cupped her face in his hands. "Like I said before, 'who wouldn't want you?'"

The doctor's lips trembled, her eyes getting glassy.

"I love you, Cait," he continued, his thumbs swiping over her red, embarrassed cheeks. "And it doesn't have to be in a few months from now or even in a few years, but when you're ready, I want to give you the most absurd Winter-slash-Christmas wedding anyone has ever seen."

She giggled, a few tears (happy ones) escaping from the crevices of her eyes. "It's still crazy," she told him. "But I'd love nothing more."

"Good," he said before he leaned back down again to seal the deal with a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That wedding for sure would be a sight to see. Lmaoo. If you're reading, please let me know what you think! I love hearing from you guys! :)


	3. the christmas party nextdoor

Caitlin Snow could feel a headache forming, that little tinge niggling in her head as the bass from the Christmas music her neighbors were playing reverabated against her wall. She tried to block it out as her eyes read from one line to the next, but the music was just too loud that it was too distracting to comprehend much of anything.

She tried studying in her living room, but the noise still carried over. She even reached out to a friend, but they weren't answering any of her texts, and Caitlin didn't want to just show up unannounced, just in case she interrupted something with her new boyfriend. With a pout, she realized she had nowhere left to go since it was getting late and most of the university's amenities were closed or going to be closing, including the library and cafeteria.

Caitlin sighed. All semester long, she never heard a peep from her neighbors - from what her roommate described them as were "two nerds who spoke way too fast and way too much about nerdy movies" - so she was definitely surprised when after settling herself down to study that she was almost immediately interrupted by loud music coming from their place.

She closed her textbook in defeat. She was peeved that people didn't seem to have any common decency these days. That these people never seemed to care that they could be disturbing others from studying or sleeping or calling their mother (not that she would be doing much of the latter). She didn't want to get the university's security involved, but maybe if she asked them to turn it down a little, it could be more bearable to deal with.

She got up from her bed, striding out of her room and out the door, making a beeline to her neighbor's. She bit her lip, contemplating if she really wanted to go through with this. Would they just laugh at her? Definitely a probability, but she wasn't going to let that discourage her - it wouldn't be the first time she was laughed at for her regimented studying. That same roommate she spoke of before even said that Caitlin would probably get along with these neighbors since she was "a nerd too". (Caitlin didn't really like her roommate).

Taking a needed breath and steeling her face, ridding it of any apprehension, she knocked loudly on the door.

She stood there for a few moments, wondering if the music was too loud to even hear her knocking, when the door swung open to reveal a tall and lanky brunette guy with a slick, cool, James Dean type hairstyle that did not at all match his Harry Potter Christmas sweater. His striking green eyes widened ever so slightly as they fell on her, his Adam's apple noticeably bobbling in his throat.

She cocked her head to the side, waiting for her greeting, but when she realized she wasn't going to get one, she cleared her throat. "Um, hello?"

His eyes blinked really fast, his focus becoming a little more clearer. "Oh! Um, hi. What can I do for you?" he asked rapidly, before looking over his shoulder at the massive crowd behind him, a look of realization making its way across his face. "Oh, right, you're here for the party." He stepped to the side, giving her room to enter.

"Actually," she said, a strained smile on her face. "I'm not here to party" - that earned her a raised brow - "I actually wanted to talk to one of the tenants for a moment. Do you know either of them?"

"I'm one of them," the stranger spoke, smiling as he outreached his hand. "I'm Barry."

Caitlin tentatively took his hand, shaking it, all the while trying to ignore the tingles erupting under her skin from the contact. "I'm Caitlin - Caitlin Snow, you're neighbor."

Both of his eyebrows jumped at that. "You're our neighbor?"

"Right next door there," she answered, looking towards her own apartment door on the left.

Barry's gaze followed hers. "You're Janet's roommate?"

"Unfortunately," she said, the quip spilling from her lips like an automatic response. Her eyes widened when she realized that she had said that out loud.

Luckily, a rumble of a laugh expelled from Barry. "She's not very nice."

Caitlin allowed herself to giggle too, even letting a smile stay fixed on her face after she said, "No, no she isn't."

Her neighbor just stared at her for a moment, his eyes gentle and soft as he regarded her. He shook his head after a second, smiling bashfully. "Um, so, if you're not here for the party, why are you here?" he then asked, licking his lips and stuffing his hands deep into his pockets.

_Right, she was here for a reason._ "Well, you see, your music is playing really loudly and I'm trying to study-"

"Study? Study for what? Finals ended today."

She found his genuinely confused expression to be adorable, though she quickly shoved that thought to the side. There was no time for distractions aka cute, adorkable boys. "I'm a med student," she disclosed. "So it details a lot of hard work and lots of things to learn. And even though we'll be leaving for break soon, I don't want to forget anything and I want to get a leg up on the upcoming semester too."

"I see..." he let out. "You know, my dad is a doctor, actually."

She solemnly nodded. "Mine was too."

He frowned for a moment before some of the color in his complexion desaturated. "Oh, shit. I'm - I'm so sorry."

Caitlin shook head. "It's fine - I mean, it's not 'fine' but it's fine since it was a while ago, not that time completely heals those types of wounds, but you know, I've grieved and dealt with it, kinda," she said all in one rapid-fire sentence that ended with her taking a giant deep breath.

His lips were pushed up against each other, the ends tilted upwards like he was trying to suppress a grin. "I get it," he told her softly, eyes burrowing into hers like they were seeing into her soul. "Like how on some days, the pain, it hurts worse than the day when it happened."

"Yeah…" she agreed breathily, surprised that someone seemed to understand how she felt. She cleared her throat, diverting her eyes. "So, as I was saying, could you maybe turn your music down a little bit?"

"Why don't you join us?"

She stared at him blankly. "Did you not just hear everything that I said?"

He smiled a full-toothed smile, one that wrinkled the sides of his eyes, as he let out an amused chuckle. "Yes, I heard everything you said. But one night isn't going to make you forget everything…you know, as long as you don't drink _excessively_ , of course, which I don't recommend."

Caitlin surprised herself as she giggled at him once again.

In response, he beamed proudly. "So, what do you say?" he asked, gesturing towards his apartment where she could see throngs of people clustered together dancing, talking, and playing games.

She let out a sigh, biting down on her lower lip, struggling with what she knew she should do and what she was being tempted to do. "I really shouldn't…"

He respectfully nodded. "Okay," he said simply, still smiling at her, though it felt bereft of the same level of excitement from earlier. "I'll go turn the music down a little bit for you."

"Thank you," she gratefully let out

He turned to grab the door, slowly closing it as he watched her lightly. "It was nice to meet you, Caitlin."

She swallowed, getting lost in his tender gaze. "You too," she managed to say as a swarm of butterflies occupied her stomach as she watched him finally close his door with a soft click.

.

As she settled back into her room, she was happy to find that the music was reasonably lower. She opened her textbook, determined to get the studying she needed. But no matter what she did, she still couldn't focus on the words. Her mind was instead focused on the lanky boy she just met. She gazed at her bedroom wall, the one that was shared with his apartment, wondering what he was doing. Was he dancing and singing to the current song playing, 'Jingle Bell Rock'? Was he talking to his friends? Was he at all thinking about her too?

Caitlin leaned forward, letting her hands massage her forehead. All she wanted to do tonight was study, but now here she was, thinking about some boy. But he didn't seem like just _some_ boy. He seemed like a really nice guy - a great one, even. He had been so respectful and understanding of her within the few minute span that they had talked and it had left a deep impression on the her. And his smile, it was so genuine and free, and it accentuated his beautiful and soulful green eyes, sucking her into a peaceful existence when she had found herself staring into them, her heart thrumming.

She bit her lip. People were always saying that she needed to live a little more. Plus, one evening couldn't hurt, right? If anything, she'd make a new friend.

Not giving herself time to talk herself out of it, she quickly checked herself over to make sure she was presentable, then strode back over to Barry's apartment door, knocking on it once again.

This time the door opened much sooner. However, it was not Barry who answered much to Caitlin's disappointment. Instead, it was a shorter guy with black, shoulder-length hair. He was sporting a clever Star Wars themed Christmas t-shirt and reindeer antlers on his head.

"Hey, are you here for the party?" the guy asked.

"Um, yes?" she answered unsurely. "Do you know where a Barry might be?"

"Oh, you know Barry?" the long-haired man asked, grinning at this new information.

"Kinda," she answered. "I talked to him earlier. I'm the neighbor on the left over there," she continued, gesturing towards that way.

"Then we're neighbors too!" this new guy proclaimed. "I'm Cisco! I'm Barry's roommate." He then waved her into the apartment. "I think I saw Barry towards the stereo," Cisco said, pointing to the direction of where that was.

"Thank you," Caitlin said before meandering her way through the crowd and towards where she hoped Barry was.

Once she cleared the entryway and into the main area, she saw Barry by the stereo system. He was talking to another girl, one shorter than her with beautiful dark skin, and a well-built blonde guy, who the girl was draped over.

She swallowed down her nerves as she walked further into the room. Eventually, Barry's eyes flickered up, maybe catching the movement in his peripherals, and their gazes connected. Her heart fluttered as his smile widened at her approaching figure.

"Caitlin!" he exclaimed as she stopped in front of him. "Hey - um, hi!"

The other guy and girl next to him shared a looked, smirking to themselves. "Hey, Bar, we're going to mingle some more with other people, _okay_?" the girl said, looking at him knowingly. Not waiting for a response, she then turned and pulled the blonde guy with her to the other side of the room.

Barry smiled sheepishly as he looked from his departing friends to back to her. "So...you decided to join the party after all?" he asked before immediately frowning. "Or-or is the music still too loud? I can lower it more if you'd like-" he continued, reaching out towards the stereo to do just that, but Caitlin caught his arm, stilling his actions.

"The music is fine," she assured him, trying not to pay attention to the way her hand was burning from where she had touched him. "But you were right, one night off isn't going to make me forget everything." She then offered him a tiny smile that speedily morphed his face back into the grin that she was quickly growing to adore.

"So you're here for the party? Awesome!"

She slightly winced, wringing her hands. "To be frank, I have no idea what to do at these type of things," she admitted.

He chuckled, almost relieved. "Neither do I," he confessed. "This is really just my friends' party - Iris and Eddie," he said, looking across the room. Caitlin followed his gaze and saw the couple that he had been talking to earlier quickly turn away, as if they didn't want to be seen watching them. "They couldn't host their End-of-the-Semester-Slash-Christmas Party at their dorms, so they asked if they could have it here."

"I _thought_ it was out of the ordinary for you guys to have a party, you know, since-"

"We're nerds?" Barry interjected with a lopsided grin.

"Noooooo," Caitlin let out over a laugh. "It's just you guys are generally quiet," she explained. "Plus, calling you a nerd would be like the pot calling the kettle black."

Barry chuckled. "I guess the studying thing from earlier would qualify you as that."

"Exactly," she agreed, dipping her head down shyly. "Though that probably sounds more lame than anything."

"Naw," he was quick to assure her. "You're just someone who knows what she wants and is willing to work hard towards that."

Her face burned with a blush. "Thanks," she said back quietly. People like her roommate and old schoolmates often ostracized her for that behavior.

"What was that?" Barry then asked. "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you. It's starting to get kinda loud in here."

"I said 'thanks'!" she repeated, this time louder so he could hear her.

He nodded. "Would you maybe want to head out on the balcony? No one is out there and it might be easier to talk."

"Sure," she agreed, hoping it would be a lot quieter. She didn't come to the party to celebrate and drink; she came because she was simply curious about Barry and wanted to get to know him more.

He smiled before beaconing her to follow him to the sliding glass door just a few meters away. He pulled the door open and with it a gush of cold rushed in, which felt good when they were in the hot, cramped apartment, but it left Caitlin shivering as she stepped out onto the balcony.

"No wonder no one is out here. It's cold!" Caitlin remarked humorously, turning to find Barry already holding out a denim jacket for her. She smirked as she wordlessly took the jacket he offered, happy to find that it had sherpa lining that was already keeping her warm as she fastened it.

"This is an interesting jacket," she commented, noticing the patches scattered all over. A couple were superhero themed - like Superman - others were sports related, but one in particular caught her eye. "CCPD? Are you from Central City?"

Barry beamed. "Yeah, yeah, I am. I have a CCPD badge in particular though because Iris' dad, who is like a 2nd father to me, is a detective there, but I'm hoping to work there too one day," he shared.

"So you want to be a cop?"

He quickly shook his head. "Oh, no. I don't know if I could run around, chasing the bad guys," he confessed over a faint laugh. "I actually want to become a forensic scientist."

Caitlin's eyebrow piqued with interest. "So you're a fellow man of science," she noted admirably. "So what interested you with that? Was _CSI_ you favorite show as a kid?"

"Heh," Barry let out awkwardly before rubbing the back of his neck. "Um, actually…"

Caitlin suddenly got the sense that maybe his reasoning was very personal. "You don't _have_ to tell me."

He walked up to the balcony's railing, his hands latching onto it tightly. "No, no, I want to. It's just always so hard to say," he said, blowing out a breath. "Um, when I was a kid, my-my mom was...murdered," he said quietly, swallowing, and Caitlin couldn't hold back the small gasp that fell from her lips. "And they never caught the guy."

"Oh, Barry, I'm so sorry," she expressed, her hand reaching out to his arm, trying to find some way to comfort him. "I-I never would have asked if-"

"You didn't know," he interrupted, flashing her a placating grin. "And like you said earlier, it's fine, though it's not," he continued, his eyes gleaming a bit mischievously. "I won't give the long-winded response that you did though."

"Hey!" she let out, though she quickly dissolved into giggles, and Barry wasn't far behind.

"So…" Barry started after their laughter resided, "do you have your heart set on a particular hospital or something? Since you're going to be a doctor."

Caitlin shrugged. "Not really. Though I've been looking into STAR Labs. They've got amazing fundings and magnificent machines."

He furrowed his brows. "I thought you were a med student?"

She ducked her head. "I am," she let out. "But I also have two doctorates, one particularly in bioengineering, and that's been my main passion, I have to admit."

"Wait, wait, wait," Barry said, turning his whole body towards her, a funny smile tugging at his lips. "How old are you? Are you secretly 30 or something?"

"I'm 21," she let out, laughing at his adorably confused face. "I've just...skipped a lot of grades as a kid…" she feebly explained.

"Heh, no kidding," Barry let out, shaking his head in amazement. "Jeez, forget nerd. You're just a certified genius," he let out his eyes wide in shock. "Dr. Wells would be crazy not to hire you."

Caitlin's own eyes widened. "You know of Dr. Wells?"

"Of course!" His eyes lit up. "He's like my hero!" Barry gushed. "If - if it didn't sound like such a line, I'd ask you back to my bedroom so I can show you the stack of his scientific journals that I have but..."

The med student blushed at the implication. She cleared her throat. "Maybe some other time then..."

"Heh," he let out, swallowing. "But I do have proof here and now that I'm a huge fan."

She slightly smirked, her eyes lightening, intrigued. "Then show me the proof."

Her neighbor reached out, gently grabbing a hold of her left shoulder. Her breath caught at their closer proximity, staring up at him in bewilderment. He then swiftly moved her hair off her shoulder, and she swore she saw his forest green eyes glance downwards at her lips for a second, making her heart thump wildly in her chest, before his eyes flickered back to her shoulder.

"I have a STAR Labs patch right here," he pointed out..

Caitlin maneuvered her neck around to see what he was referring to and there indeed was the labs' logo patched into his denim jacket. She just hadn't seen it before because it was towards the back, on her shoulder blade.

"Dr. Wells has been talking about building a particle accelerator soon, and what we could learn from that is just...astronomical! It's a whole new way of looking at physics. It will literally change-"

"-the way that we think about everything," she finished.

"Exactly." He smiled, a twinkle in his eyes gleaming.

She smiled too, but dipped her head, finding herself shy under his soft gaze.

It was then that small, white flakes floated down between them, prompting them to look up and notice that it had started to snow, the rate of their descend only getting quicker.

"I guess we should head back in," Caitlin said, a sadness tainting her words since, despite the cold, she would have stood out there on the balcony with Barry all night long.

Barry nodded his agreement, pulling the handle of the door to slid it back open. However, once they both started entering the apartment again, a voice shouted from the back of the room. "Look! Mistletoe!"

She and Barry's heads shot straight up, immediately noticing the green plant over the doorway that was definitely _not there_ before they went outside. Their gazes both slowly lowered from the Mistletoe to shyly meet each other's eyes; his face was crimson with embarrassment and she knew she probably looked much the same.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, before cursing someone under his breath - but it was too low to make out who in particular he was blaming. "I - I didn't plan this. I promise. I wouldn't want you to kiss me. I mean, yes, I would want you to kiss me, you know, if you wanted to, but I wouldn't want you to kiss me because you felt pressured to do it because of some plant that for some reason people kiss-"

Caitlin leaned up on her tippy toes to press her mouth delicately against his, interrupting him from talking any more. But Barry apparently had no issue with the intrusion since she would feel his lips twitch into a smile against hers, spurring the same reaction to happen to her own. Barry then cupped her face, deepening the kiss.

It wasn't until they heard the hoots and whistles from their rowdy audience that they pulled apart, both dipping their heads down coyly, embarrassed by their little show. Ears tinged red, Barry quickly took her hand and guided her through the apartment and out the door, into the hallway..

Closing his front door, he turned to her. "Hi," he said timidly.

"Hi." She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Sorry about all of that," he apologized, hiking his thumb over his shoulder to indicate the kiss, or maybe it was the party, or maybe both.

She swallowed. "You don't have to be sorry," she let out, "unless...unless you didn't like it."

"No!" he immediately let out, before clearing his throat, laughing uneasily. "I - I mean, no, I - I really enjoyed that."

She felt like her face was on fire. "I did too," she admittedly softy, a serene smile overtaking her face.

His lips spread into a soft, bashful smile. "Um, then would you like to go out tomorrow?" he asked.

Caitlin bit down on her lip to suppress her glee. "I'd love to, but I'm heading home tomorrow."

Her neighbor frowned, shoulders slouching briefly. "Oh."

"Barry," she said, reaching out to take ahold of one of his hands, smiling at him with amusement. "I live in Central City too - it's how I knew about the CCPD..." she reminded him.

His eyes immediately lit up. "Oh!" he repeated, but this time with more excitement. "So then, do you happen to know of Jitters?"

"I love Jitters."

"Then how about Friday?"

She smiled. "Friday would work."

"Then it's a date," he said, squeezing the hand that she was still holding, causing the butterflies that had been fluttering around her body all night to multiple.

"It's a date," she confirmed happily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little AU meeting. Let me know what you think! :)


	4. want to build a snowman?

After finishing up breakfast, Barry and Caitlin retreated to the living room, wanting some time to themselves. Under the pretense of watching tv, a Hallmark Christmas movie was playing. However, it was going on unwatched since the couple were instead tangled up on the couch, exchanging soft, languid kisses and touches.

"Mooooooom!?" she heard Nora yell from somewhere in the house.

Barry and Caitlin pulled back from their embrace enough for their eyes to connect, laughing once they did.

"You're being called," Barry pointed out, plopping a kiss on her forehead.

A soft grin swept across her face at the small gesture. "Yes, I heard," she noted, sitting up and giving her husband a pat on his leg. "In the living room!" Caitlin hollered back into the general vicinity of the house as she tried to straighten her appearance a little before their daughter came rushing in.

Suddenly, both of the parents heard the patter of Nora's feet running towards the living room. "Mom!" she exclaimed as she made her entrance, socked feet sliding along the hardwood floors with her face so bright with happy eagerness; it was in these moments that Caitlin could plainly see just how much alike she was to Barry, despite looking more like her little clone.

"What is it, Nora?"

"Do you want to build a snowman?!" she eagerly asked, practically jumping in place.

Next to her, Barry snorted.

She flicked a displeased look at her husband while elbowing him discreetly. "Did your Daddy tell you to ask that?" she inquired.

Nora furrowed her eyebrows, looking confused. "No...why?"

She waved her hand at it. "It's just a _very old_ joke your father and Uncle Cisco insist is still funny," Caitlin quickly explained, forcing a grin on her face before her eyes looked at Barry pointedly.

The speedster had his lips pressed down tightly, clearly trying to constrain himself from laughing. "You know, honey, you really need to _let it go_ ," he said semi-seriously before breaking his facade by laughing.

Caitlin rolled her eyes as she got up from the couch, making her way to her daughter. "We can build a snowman if you want, but we have to do it now since Uncle Cisco will be here soon to pick you guys up," she told her, running her hand down Nora's hair. "Remember? He's taking you guys out for the day."

"On it! I'm going to get Nate!" she excitedly said before scurrying up the stairs where her brother was.

As Nora left the room, Caitlin turned back to Barry. "You going to help too, _Olaf_?" she asked dryly.

Barry jumped giddily to his feet, his hands snaking around his wife's waist. "I would love to, my dear Elsa," he said, kissing the tip of her scrunched up nose.

She groaned, but her sour mood couldn't last long with his contagious grin, involuntarily making the corners of her lips slowly inch upward. "Remind me why I keep you around?" she asked as she draped her arms around his neck.

" _Because_ ," he began, leaning in close, his lips hovering over her ear. He then proceeded to whisper the _very naughty_ things he wanted to do to her once the kids left with Cisco.

Caitlin felt flustered as he finished, her whole body feeling impossibly hot and tingly, knowing red splotches were probably scattered all throughout her body. "Santa is going to put you on the naughty list," she teased laughingly, and a bit breathlessly, since she was still trying to recover from her husband's whispers.

His beautiful green eyes were a shade darker, swirled with a hint of mischief. "I think I can live with that," he told her, lips curling into a smirk as his hands descended from her waist to the back of her jean pockets. "When is Cisco getting here again?" he asked, his tone veily hinting towards his impatience and desperation

A laugh bubbled up her throat as she let her head fall against his chest. "Soon...soon," she promised in amusement, patting his chest lightly, as if placating him.

"Mom! Dad!" they then heard their children shout, prompting Barry to tear his hands from her back pockets with his lightning fast reflexes just as Nora and Nate ran into the living room. "Come on!"

.

After collecting some essentials around the house to accessorize the snowmen they were going to create, the Allen family made their way out to the back-yard, all bundled up in their winter clothes.

"How do we want to do this?" Caitlin asked Nora, since this had been her idea after all.

"Me and Mom vs. Nate and Dad!" she exclaimed.

"Ooh, so a little Boys vs. Girls type thing, huh? Well, boys are definitely going to win this one, right Nate?" Barry said, turning to his almost 5-year-old son, holding out his hand for a high-five.

"Yes!" Nate exclaimed with a wide-toothed grin, slapping his little hand against his father's. "Girls are poopy!"

" _Hey!_ " Caitlin let out, exaggeratedly frowning towards her son.

"Except for Mommy," he quickly amended, to which the doctor merely chuckled at. "But Nora is still poopy!"

"You're poopy!" she fired back. "And we're going to beat you!"

"Guys," Barry cut in right before Caitlin was about to, "if you can't be nice to each other, we're not going to make snowmen at all."

The two instantly quietened, guilty expressions appearing on both of their faces. "Sorry," they both mumbled, and taking one look at Barry, she knew he too could hardly stand their cuteness, but the parents' expressions remained neutral.

"Alright," Caitlin ushered after a few moments. "And then maybe when Uncle Cisco comes by later to pick you up, he'll decide who the winner is, yeah?"

Everyone agreed, and Nate and Nora both scurried to opposite sides of the yard to start building their snowmen, leaving just Caitlin and Barry.

The speedster looked her up and down, sizing her up. "No using frost, missy."

"Then no speed, mister," she responded back with a curt nod.

He shrugged. "Fine."

"Fine," she said breezingly, before standing up on her tippy toes to place a gentle kiss on his lips. "Good luck, but you are going down," she said as she pulled back, smirking and eyes twinkling as she slapped him lightly on the ass before backing away impishly.

Barry's eyes followed her, especially zeroing in on the sway of her hips. " _You're_ on the naughty list," he mouthed to her, shaking his head in good-natured disbelief, causing the doctor to giggle.

"What's funny, Mom?" the young girl innocently asked upon her mother's arrival.

Caitlin tore her gaze from her husband to her daughter. "Nothing sweetie," she said, dismissing it. "Let's win this snowman contest!"

Nora's face broke out into one of glee. "Yeah!"

.

20 minutes later, both teams were still working on their own snowmen.

"Mom?" Nora called out as Caitlin placed the snowman's head securely on top of its body.

"Yes, sweetie?"

Nora's lips pulled downwards. "Our snowman is falling apart," she pointed out glumly, and when Caitlin looked towards the bottom, she saw that their foundation, the snowman's base, was beginning to falter under the weight of the rest of it.

"Oh," Caitlin let out, frowning. "Well…let's try..." she began, picking up nearby snow to try and compact the clumps and sturdy it up again, but the base only sank further.

Nora leaned down. "Use your cold, mommy," she whispered inconspicuously.

Caitlin cocked her head to the side. "That would be cheating…" she said, looking at her daughter adamantly.

"Pleaseeee," she said, jutting out her lower lip and widening those precious green eyes of hers - Barry's darn eyes.

She sighed. "Fine," she gave in, and Nora clapped her mittened hands together gleefully.

Caitlin looked discreetly behind her shoulder at her husband and son. Barry was lifting Nate up so that the little guy could put the head on top of the snowman. Her face broke out into a loving grin, a warmth spreading through her chest at the adorable scene; her love for her boys exponentially growing.

" _Mom_ ," Nora quietly stressed, reminding her why she was looking in the first place. 

"Right, right. Sorry," she said, guiltily. Getting back on track, Caitlin figured the boys were still preoccupied, so she deemed it safe enough to let frost emancipate from her fingertips, glossing over the snow and making it sturdier.

"Hey, hey, hey!" she then heard Barry holler from behind her, and she winced - busted!

She turned around innocently enough, plastering on a pleasant smile. "Yes, honey?"

Barry chuckled. "Oh, don't 'yes, honey' me. I saw you! You were cheating. You were using your powers!"

"I wasn't making snow...I - I was just...securing the structure…" she tried to justify herself, lamely, at that.

"That's still cheating," he roused tauntingly.

She pursed her lips and cross her arms. "Well you cheated too. Don't think I didn't see you guys building that snowman a little faster than usual, Bartholomew."

Barry scowled, turning to his son. "Uh, oh. She called me by my full name."

Little Nate's face scrunched up. "Your name is Fart-hulu-moo?" The girls immediately giggled.

The speedster frowned, shaking his head at his son. "No, it's _bahr-thol-uh-myoo_ ," he stressed, phonetically pronouncing the name.

"I don't know," Caitlin spoke up, gaining her husband's attention again, pressing her tongue to her cheek, amused, "I kind of like the way Nate said you name. I think it's more apt."

"Oh yeah?"

Caitlin looked him dead in the eyes. "Yes," she said with a quirk of her lips, while Barry looked on at her with a smirk of his own, and knowing by the mischievous rise of his eyebrows and the wicked glint in his eyes, he was planning something. "Barry," Caitlin started with warning, "Don't. You. Dare," she said each word punctually, but it only seemed to spur the speedster into action.

"Ahhh," she yelped with laughter when she saw Barry take off into a sprint. She scurried away as best as she could before easily being captured and tackled to the snowy ground.

"Gotcha," Barry said, sprawled out on top of her, a dopey grin spread wide across his face.

She playfully rolled her eyes. "It was hardly a challenge since you used your super speed."

His grin turned cheeky. "Well you're such a catch, it was hard not to."

Caitlin let her head fall back against the snow. "That was _beyond_ corny," she groaned, but soon erupted into a fit of laughter as he tickled her sides, his smile only growing bigger the more she laughed. "Barry.." she said though the tickles, panting, "Bar-ry, st-o-p."

"Okay, okay," he conceded, chuckling lightly as he seized his tickles. He watched her adoringly as she regained her breath, his eyes bright and full of only her. "God, I could listen to your laugh forever though," he told her, caressing her cheek.

She melted just as easily as the snow did on a hot, sunny day. "That was pretty corny too," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck, her nails grazing against his nape, slowly pulling him downwards. "But I think I'll let it slide."

He smirked, letting her pull him further, his eyes fluttering. "Oh you will, will you?"

"Mmhmm," she hummed out before Caitlin closed the distance between them completely. His lips were a tad cold from being outside for as long as they were, but they warmed up fast under the friction of their kiss. And as he opened his mouth and invited her in, it was like being wrapped up tightly in a comforter and place by the fire - so warm and comforting.

They tore apart after a few moments, giggling breathily against each other's mouths. "Urgh, when is Cisco getting here?" he asked again, his tone even more impatient and desperate than the last.

Caitlin snorted, but blushed, knowing exactly what her husband wanted to do the second the kids were off with their Uncle Cisco. And she couldn't blame him; her own libido was in overdrive.

"I'm right here," they heard Cisco say from nearby, making the couple jump at the sudden intrusion.

"Cisco!" Caitlin hollered in surprise as her and Barry scrambled to their feet, their faces as red as Barry's Flash suit.

Barry cleared his throat. "So are you ready to take the kids? They've been excited about visiting you."

Cisco looked his friends up and down, his amusement plain as day. "And I'm sure you're just as excited for them to be visiting me too."

If it was possible, Barry and Caitlin blushed even harder.

The mechanical engineer chuckled, taking pleasure in their embarrassment. "You know, I have to admit though, it's sweet - _grossly sweet_ , mind you - but sweet that even after 12 years of marriage that you guys still want to jump each other's bones like that."

The couple briefly looked at each other, smiling awkwardly under their friend's gaze, but smiling proudly nonetheless. They were proud that their love had sustained villains and kids and time itself to the point that they were still head over heels crazy about each other like they were.

"What does 'jump each other's bones' mean?" Nora asked, catching all the adults off guard, having not heard her approaching.

" _Cisco!_ " Caitlin chided, her nose flaring.

The mechanical engineer floundered for a moment. "Uh, it means, you know, kissing...and stuff…?" he let out unsurely, shrugging as he looked to his married friends helplessly.

"Ohhh," Nora drawled out, understanding taking over her features. "Yeah, Mom and Dad kiss A LOT," she shared, her nose twitching in disgust like most kids do about that sort of thing, causing all the adults to laugh.

"You guys ready for the best day ever!" Cisco exclaimed, quickly trying to change the subject, and Nora beamed, jumping up and down. Nate ran over and right into his Uncle's arms, shrieking with happiness as well.

"I think that's a yes," Caitlin commented with a giggle, watching the display so fondly.

Barry placed a gentle hand on her back as he turned to Cisco. "Let us know when you're about to bring them home."

Cisco shot them a knowing look. "Oh, trust me. I will give you _plenty_ of notice, you two wild kids."

The married couple's faces colored, but nodded gratefully to their best friend nevertheless. "Thanks," Barry weakly let out, clearing his throat.

"Alright, let's get a move on," Cisco said, motioning for Nora to follow him, since Nate was still in his arms. "Earth 22 is da bomb! Seriously, you're going to love it," he told Nora, who giggled as the older man opened a breach to said Earth.

"Wait, Cisco!" Barry hollered out. Upon gaining his friend's attention, he had to ask. "Who won the Snowman contest?"

"Oh, that one's easy," he said flippantly. "Nora and Caitlin won," he answered before grabbing Nora's hand and diving into the breach.

As the breach closed, Caitlin turned to her husband with a smug, victorious smile overtaking her face. "I _won_ ," she sing-songed.

She saw Barry visibly trying to be upset, but under her gaze he crumbled. Instead, he laughed. "It's because you cheated," he playfully chided.

"It's karma for cracking those _Frozen_ jokes earlier," she volleyed back.

"They weren't even that bad."

"Plus, you cheated too."

"For like half a second."

"Half a second is pretty darn long for a speedster, Fart-hulu-moo," she noted, purposely trying to get a rise out of him.

His eyebrows raised, a shocked smile pulling at his face. "You did not," he expressed exasperatedly, a similar wicked glint in his eyes from earlier resurfacing.

She bit down on her lip, backing away. "Oh, but I did," she said, scampering to the house as quickly as she could.

"Where are you going?" he hollered playfully. "You know I'm gonna catch you."

She stopped by the back-yard doorway, looking at her husband over her shoulder. "I know. I'm counting on it," she said with a wink, before running into the house, giggling as she felt the electricity and wind of Barry's speed almost immediately surround her as he sped them to their bedroom.

Today was going to be good one, indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be just an innocent Allen family making snowmen oneshot, but it kind of turned into something else. I just love this idea of Barry and Caitlin still remaining so touchy and sooo in love years later. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed it. Lol. Please let me know your thoughts because they honestly mean the world to me!


	5. grandma esther's eggnog

"Barryyyy."

The speedster looked up from his conversation with Cisco to see his personal physician standing nearby, wobbling slightly on her feet. He raised an eyebrow at the whiny tone she used to call him.

"Everything alright?" he asked, getting up from his seat on the West's couch to assess Caitlin up close. Her eyes were a bit glazed over and she reeked of Grandma Esther's eggnog. "How many glasses of eggnog did you have?"

She looked confused for a moment as she looked down to study her hand. "How many fingers do I have?" she asked, raising her one hand up for Barry to look at too.

His eyes bulged. "You had 5 glasses?" Three was usually the max for any sane person.

Caitlin giggled, and if he wasn't so worried about _why_ she felt the need to have _5 glasses_ of the very heavily spiked eggnog, he would have taken a moment to appreciate the adorableness of the sound.

"Cait, why did you drink so much?"

"Liquid courage," she simply said. She took a step forward but her wobbly legs gave out on her. But luckily, Barry was quick to catch her in his arms, her head now resting on his chest as he kept her upright. "You smell good," he heard her mutter softly against his sweater.

Barry immediately let out a belly laugh, leaning far back enough to get a good look at her, though she was still smushed against his body. "You want me to take you home?"

She shook her head, ducking it under his. "No-no swooshing," she said. "I'll throw up."

The speedster nodded, remembering her vomiting the last time he tried to flash her home after drinking. "Why don't you take the guest bedroom tonight? I'm sure Joe and Cecile wouldn't mind."

She softly nodded her head, but made no movement to go anywhere or do anything. In fact, she closed her eyes and nuzzled her head further into Barry's chest, as if she were already there and he was her pillow, and he hoped to God she was too drunk to feel his heart drumming wildly under the surface.

"Come on," he said as he easily hoisted her up into his arms bridal style, like he's done many times before. She let out a slight groan in protest, but didn't object any further as he delicately began walking her up the stairs.

" _Simply...having...a wonderful Christmastimeee_ ," she sang, and badly at that. It caused Barry to chuckle bemusingly as she continued singing the song while he climbed the remaining stairs and walked towards the guest bedroom.

Toeing the door open, Barry walked into the room that once upon a time was his old bedroom when he was living with Joe and settled Caitlin gently on his old mattress. Her singing had trailed off once they entered and her eyes looked peacefully shut. He nearly thought she had fallen asleep, but as he eased down the comforter from under her and tucked her figure in cozingly, her big brown eyes opened up and locked in on his.

He smiled down at her. "I'm going to get you some tylenol and water for later," he said, but before he could go anywhere or do anything, he was immediately stopped by Caitlin grabbing his hand, tugging at it.

"No. Stay."

He chuckled, watching her fondly. "Cait, I'll literally be a second."

"Please," she said, those irresistible eyes of hers wide and pleading.

It didn't take much to convince the speedster further. "Okay," he told her, sitting down on the edge of the mattress, his mind instantly transporting him back to that karaoke night when she asked him to stay then. His lips twitched up pleasantly at the memory.

"No. No. Here," she tiredly insisted, patting the other side of the bed gently. "Sleep with me," she said simply enough, but the raspy texture of sleep made it come out low and... _sexy_ sounding.

Barry gulped before awkwardly chuckling. "C-Cait…"

She groaned. "I didn't...I didn't mean it like _that_ ," she supplied. "I'm _drunk_ …" she continued thoughtfully, holding up her pointer finger unsteadily, "but - but I'm not _stupid_."

The speedster laughed more freely now as he watched her entertainingly. "Dr. Snow is never stupid," he agreed with her, bravely reaching out to caress her cheek.

She closed her eyes under his touch and leaned into it. "Please, Barry. Stay."

His heart skipped a beat, and any will power he had left evaporated. "Yeah, okay. Okay," he said, toeing off his shoes and joining her in the bed, above the covers.

Caitlin immediately turned to face him, scooting herself closer to his frame, her head falling onto his chest. He moved his arm closest to her to move it behind her shoulders, hoping it would allow for a more comfortable position for the both of them to lay in. She merely smiled and sighed in contentment, seemingly relaxing further now as she sleepily nuzzled her head against his torso.

" _Simply...having...a wonderful Christmastimeeee_ ," she sang again, her voice softer, but he could feel the vibrations of it against his sternum. The pitch was still terribly off, but his heart never felt so full.

"Why is it that when you're drunk, you sing?" he asked humorously, unconsciously playing with the strands of hair along her back.

She scrunched up her nose rather cutely, sleep starting to wash over her. "Only with you," she mumbled out.

Barry chuckled, though his eyebrow lifted curiously. "Oh yeah, and why is that?"

"Because," - she yawned, her eyes increasingly staying closed for longer and longer periods of time as she blinked - "you make me happy. Happy enough to want to sing."

It a took a prolonged moment for her comment to sink in, but when the speedster's incredibly fast-thinking mind finally was able to process it, he took in a quick intake of breath. His heart felt like it was simultaneously exploding and melting all at once, and yet, there it still was, beating rapidly against his chest at the declaration.

He swallowed down emotion as he leaned back to get a better look at her, soaking her in, watching as her chest rose and fell with her even breaths, her lips slightly parted and face tranquil. He wanted to lay it all out there for her at that very moment - all the feelings, all the thoughts, all the mistakes and regrets he's had over the years concerning her - but he knew it wasn't the right time. The right time would be tomorrow, when she was sober and in a state where she was more likely to remember.

He smiled, his eyes shining with utmost love. "You make me want to sing too, Caitlin Snow."

"Yeah?" she let out breathily, and he could tell she was nearly half asleep at this point.

"Yeah," Barry confirmed softly before he laid a gentle kiss against the crown of her head. " _All I want for Christmas is you_ ," he softly sang in her hair and was pleasantly pleased to see Caitlin's lips twitched up into a small smile as she finally drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short and sweet oneshot. I hope you all enjoyed this one! Please let me know your thoughts!
> 
> ALSO, if you didn't read it already, I uploaded another Snowbarry oneshot yesterday called "the princess & the baker" and it would mean lot to me if you could check that one too.


	6. mission santa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI, I started writing this last year. So the way the Cait/Frost dynamic works is very similar to the season 4 way. Also she's a regular meta-human, just like we thought she was until THIS season when we learned otherwise. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

"Barry, are you in position?" Cisco's voice rang through the comm discreetly connected to his ear.

"In place," he answered his tech-savvy friend as he continued to watch his fellow party goers.

He was at some holiday party for a new, big corporation in town. Word on the street though was that their newest foe was actually the CEO of this company, a Mr. Miser, who had been conducting not so friendly business in Central City for months. They were there to stake him out and try to see if this was true.

"Do you have eyes on Frost?" the long-haired man asked. "She's not answering her comms," he elaborated tiredly.

Barry rolled his eyes. He was all for his friend's split personality helping them on missions - she carried the same bravery, courage and strength that Caitlin did (but physically so, instead of emotionally and intellectually). However, she wasn't much of a team player - she liked doing her own thing on her own time.

Suddenly a glimpse of red was noticed out of the corner of his eye, and soon enough the cold metahuman was saunting her way into his view and his mouth went dry. She was donning a brown, fitted wig on her head to keep herself from being recognized; it was convincing enough that Barry first thought it _was_ Caitlin. However, for what she was wearing...that was definitely _not_ usual Caitin-wear.

"Uh... _yeah_ ," Barry let out, croaking. He stuck a finger into his suit collar, because suddenly he was having a difficult time breathing. He cleared his throat further. "She's here," he told Cisco.

"What the matter with _you_?" Cisco asked, obviously hearing the difference in Barry's voice, but Barry didn't respond.

Frost's eyes noticed him from across the room, her eyes subtling glowing, a coy smirk creeping up on her face. She began walking towards him, her long legs striding purposely, showing off the fishnets she was wearing that led all the way up to her very, _very_ short Santa Claus dress that showed way more cleavage than what he would have considered modest for an event like this.

"Hey there, handsome," she greeted him, her eyes watching his with mirth, knowing full well where his eyes had been moments before. "Like what you see?"

He clenched his jaw, diverting his eyes. "Frost," he whispered out harshly. "What are you doing?"

She lifted her arms up, gesturing to the atmosphere of the room. "Enjoying the party, of course."

"You're not supposed to be drawing attention to us," he uttered lowly. "We're not supposed to be here. You're going to get us caught."

She rolled her eyes. "You need to lighten up, _Flash_ ," she said, whispering his alter ego's name as she stepped into his personal space, tugging at the black tie around his neck; he swallowed. "Now watch," she then said, before backing away from him, eyes locked until she turned mid-room and made her way to the CEO of the company.

He watched as she situated herself in Mr. Miser's circle, easily catching the sleazy man's eye. Miser smiled crookedly at Frost, causing Barry's insides to churn with nausea. Frost played it all up, touching Miser on the arm as she laughed obnoxiously at his (probably very unfunny) jokes. It was during this that Frost glanced over at Barry and gave him a _look_ that he then understood that she was causing a distraction so he had an opportunity to look through Miser's office, which was nearby - he just hated that she was using herself as bait.

Sighing, Barry walked casually along the walls of the room, slowly making his way to where Miser's office was. In this case, going slow was a necessity since his wind bursts would be sure to tip someone off that something was up. Not to mention, Mr. Miser's company was a technological company that specialized in making things to combat and neutralize metahumas. So while Barry and Frost both had access to their powers currently, they didn't want to see if Miser had a few tricks up his sleeve if he were to find out they were here.

Scoping the area around him, Barry was eventually able to slip into the dimly lit office of the CEO's unnoticed.

Barry immediately wandered over to Miser's desk, where the computer's screensaver was lit and bouncing around. He put a hand to his ear, activating the comms. "Cisco, I'm in. What do you need me to do?"

"Plug in the jump-drive I gave you into the computer and let me do my magic," Cisco said.

Barry did what he was told and immediately he could hear the clicks of the keyboard being hit expertly. "Let me know when you're done, Cisco," Barry said, hiding behind one of the divisions in the wall that wasn't glass to refrain from being seen.

"What's Frost doing?" Cisco asked, his fingers still tapping away.

The speedster chanced a look at the icy woman, only to immediately be aggravated - Miser's hand was on the small of her back as she twirled her hair around, still laughing and smiling way too much than what the guy deserved. "She's...distracting Miser," he told his friend, his tone clipped irritability.

"Oooo... _kay_ …" Cisco merely let out. "I'll only be about another minute…"

Suddenly a loud scream pierced through the crowd from outside the office. Barry immediately looked out the window next to him again and saw Frost running in the opposite direction with a group of security hot on her tail.

"We got trouble. Cisco, please tell me you're done."

"Just a few more seconds," Cisco murmured, the sound of the keyboard seemingly working overtime.

"Cisco, we don't have seconds!" Barry let out in a panic.

"Hero!" a voice rang from the office's front door. Barry turned to see Frost standing there, panting. "You guys get what you needed? Because they found us out."

Barry sniffed. "I can see that," he said, pointing to the chaos happening out of the window. "Shit!" the speedster then let out, noticing that Miser and a group of his men were making a beeline to his office. "Come here," Barry said, grabbing Frost and shoving her in the closet with him.

Frost softly snorted. "Like they aren't going to check in here," she let out snarkily.

"Shush!" Barry whispered to her, paying attention to the sounds and voices to the men entering the room. And just as they were about to open the door, Barry grabbed Frost and vibrated the two of them to a frequency their enemies could not see, making them invisible.

"Nothing in here, boss," one of the crew members said as he shut the closet door.

As soon as the door closed, Barry stopped vibrating and the two both let out quiet sighs of relief.

"That was a new trick," Frost quipped.

Slightly panting, Barry gave a half shrug. "It's something I've been working on."

"We need to lock this place down," Miser's voice rang out miserably, interrupting his audience in the closet. "Not one metahuman is getting out of here alive!"

Barry and Frost shared looks, knowing their next moves would have to be crucial.

Sounds of the security's feet marched out the door, but Barry could still hear movement in the office. Internally, he prayed that if it was Miser that he wouldn't find the jump-drive.

"Can't you just phase us out of here?" Frost whispered. It was only then did Barry realize how confined of a space the closet was. He could feel her knee knocking against his and her cold breath hitting across his face.

Barry shook his head, from certain _thoughts_ , but also answering Frost's question. "I still need Cisco's jump-drive, otherwise everything was for nothing."

"Can't you do the invisible vibration thing you just did then?!"

"I've never practiced doing it while running. Not to mention, it takes a lot out of me. I could expose us both again."

Frost silently groaned. "Perfect," she said raising her arms in frustration.

Peeved, Barry raised a brow, suddenly interested about the events leading up to this. "How did they find out we were here anyway, Frost?"

She had the decency to look a little embarrassed. "I...may have iced the asshole's hand," she replied, ending it with a wicked grin.

Hands on his hips, the speedster pursed his lips, his frustration boiling. "Why would you do that?!" he hysterically whispered.

"I wasn't going to let the creep feel me up!" she snarled back at his face, and Barry's face instantly crumbled.

Barry licked his lips, trying to gauge Frost's expression, but it was too dark in the closet to get an accurate idea. "He touched you?" he asked softly, his insides boiling with anger for a whole different reason now.

"Down boy," Frost mocked, patting Barry on the shoulders. "I'm a big girl; I can take of myself," she stated, her head held high. "And trust me, I wouldn't let anything happen to your _precious_ _Cait_."

He rolled his eyes, but secretly was happy that she seemed to be looking out for his friend.

"Sounds like the Mister Creep is still in the office," she said after pressing her ear up against the door. "What's your plan, hero?" she whispered, but he didn't miss the irritation in her tone.

Ignoring her, Barry reached for his comm. "Cisco, is there a way you can cause a distraction somehow? Miser is in his office, but we need him out of it."

"On it," he heard his friend say, which was then followed by a blaring alarm and the hiss of the ceiling fire sprinklers springing to life.

A commotion was heard in the office. "Oh, what the hell?!" they heard miser holler along with a string of curses before his voice faded.

"Through their security system, I can see that he's down the hall now," Cisco said. "Get the drive and get yourselves out of there!"

"On it!" Barry told him as he zipped into the office to get the drive and then ran back to the closet where Frost was standing idly by, waiting for a lift out of there.

"Ready, Frost?" he asked her.

She smirked as she wrapped her one around his neck and jumped up into his arms. "I'm always ready to take a ride on the Flash Express," she told him, sending a wink his way.

Barry floundered for a moment, swallowing down any rising feelings or temptations that always occurred whenever Frost flirted with him, which was quite frequently when he took the time to think about it. "Let's go," he merely stated.

However, once he stepped forward to speed away, he only was able to run a normal sprint.

"What the what?" Frost muttered, looking up at him before Barry noticed her icy eyes melt into the familiar brown he cherished. "Barry?" her voice spoke, much gentler and sweeter than Frost's ever was, so he knew it was Caitlin for sure now.

"Hey, Cait," he let out meekly, still holding her unsurely.

The doctor looked down, noticing herself in his arms. It was then that she noticed what she was wearing and her eyes went wide. "Barry…" she let out trepidly.

"Yeah?"

"What am I wearing? And why on God's green Earth am I wearing it?" she asked, looking back up at him, trying to search his eyes for any answers.

"Heh," Barry let out as he set her back down to the floor. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, I-I don't know why you're wearing it. Frost just showed up in it."

Caitlin sniffed, shaking her head. "I'm going to have to write her a very lengthy post-it note about this," she exclaimed, throwing her arms aggressively across her chest, which inadvertently propped up a certain part of her body.

He coughed as he quickly averted his eyes. "We should try finding a way out," he said, "It seems like they activated something so that any metahuman in this building would be powerless, so I can't speed us out."

"Well, we better think fast since we're going to have company soon," she said, looking at him nervously as she pointed out the indoor window that showed a group of men making their way back towards them.

Barry's eyes searched high and low within the office, figuring there had to be an alternative way of getting out of the room without putting them in the sight of Miser's henchmen. He then noticed a vent up high in the closet. "Here," the speedster said, pulling Caitlin quickly into the closet. "The vent," he pointed out.

She stared at him with a gobsmacked expression. "You can't be serious."

"Cait…"

"In this!" she said, gesturing at her very very short Santa dress, like he needed reminding.

Barry opened his mouth pathetically, trying hard not to let his eyes roam over her _very_ long legs. "It's - it's nothing I haven't seen before though, right?"

Caitlin flattened him with an unamused purse of her lips, her cheeks reddening slightly. "That's besides the point! There has to be another way."

"Check the office again!" they heard Miser shout with a parade of heavy footfalls making their way closer to them.

Barry looked over his shoulder to gauge how far the men were. "We don't have time," he told her panicky.

She bit her lip, looked up at the vent, then at the approaching men, then at Barry. "Fine, fine," she rapidly trilled, taking her heels off and then putting her hands on his shoulders.

The speedster folded his hands out for her to place her foot on and gently lifted her up, where she then was able to reach the vent and open it. The doctor crawled into the small space easily enough, though not without the hem of her dress riding up... _considerably_ ; Barry nearly dropped the doctor but he was able to contain his composure until she was fully in the vent.

Once in, she quickly turned around to help Barry scale the wall and enter the confined space too. They had completed the task and shut the vent door just as another guard entered the closet, his eyes sweeping the room. Thankfully, he didn't look too in depth or else he would have seen two faces staring out the grate.

As the guard left and the rest of the henchmen's voices receded, Barry and Caitlin both let out sighs of relief.

"We need to find a way out here," Barry commented, clicking his ear for his comm. "Cisco, what can you tell us about this building's vent system?"

"Um…" - clicks of the keyboard were heard - "the vents actually lead outside, in the alley, but it's a journey."

Barry looked over to Catlin, silently asking for her input. She nodded. "We're going to use them. Can you guide us, Cisco?" he asked.

"Alright, to start things off: go as far as you can straight, then make a right."

"Thanks," Barry said before shutting the comms off.

The doctor moved to start crawling, but Barry quickly touched her arm. The doctor paused, swiveling her head around, her eyebrows pinched as she looked back at Barry with a quizzical expression. "What?"

Barry's Adam's apple was bobbing as he maneuvered his suit jacket off his frame, handing it to his personal physician. "You - you should probably put this around your waist," he offered, his treacherous eyes, flicking downwards for a second to her the material of her dress starting to hike up again.

She followed his gaze before immediately snatching his jacket out of his hand. She twisted in place as she threw the jacket around her stomach, tying the two sleeves together in front of her to the best of her ability to keep it in place. "Thanks," she sheepishly said, her tone laced with layers of embarrassment and dismay as she dipped her head.

He cleared his throat. "Right, right, and uh, maybe I should take the lead...just in case."

Caitlin rapidly nodded, her face getting blotchy. "Yeah, that would probably be for the best."

Barry awkwardly chuckled before squeezing passed his personal physician and taking the lead. And as they closed in on their first turn, Barry pressed for the comm as they took the right. "Where do we go next, Cisco?"

The mechanical engineer then continued to guide the duo through the vent system, turn for turn."Take a left this time," he told them once again, minutes later.

However, the speedster immediately stopped, causing his doctor to bump into him briefly. "There is no left. We can either keep going straight or go right."

Barry could hear Cisco rustling around, clicking on his keyboard frantically. "No...no, that can't be right. Every blueprint shows a left and a right path here."

"Maybe we should go the most left?" the speedster suggested. "So go straight?"

Cisco made a displeased sound. "That could be really dangerous."

Caitlin sighed. "We don't have time to keep guessing. They could find us in the vents and we'd be sitting ducks. We're going to try to keep going straight and see where it leads us."

Barry nodded his agreement before beginning to crawl forward. And everything was fine for a few moments, until suddenly the further end of the vent fell.

The scientists didn't even have time to process it all before they found themselves sliding down the vent and dropping to the hard ground below. Somehow, they ended up tangled so when Barry opened his eyes, he was immediately met with the sight of Caitlin sprawled underneath him, looking much like a goddess with with hair all wildly fanned out and her eyes dark and alluring.

"Hey," Barry said breathlessly, partly from the scare, but partly because her beauty and their current position were taking any breath that was left away.

"Hey," she answered back, her lips twitching into a smile as she gazed up at him. "Are - are you alright?"

He quickly nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Just surprised and all," he told her with a chuckle, which she joined a second later. "You?"

She bit her lip. "Yeah, I'm fine" - he felt her move beneath him, her face scrunching up - "though you're kind of crushing me a bit here," she admitted amusingly.

Barry's eyes widened as he quickly scrambled off of his personal physician. "Right! Sorry!" he exclaimed.

She sat up, laughing to herself. "It's alright," she told him, and he believed it. "A little help though?" she requested, holding her hands out. "This dress was in no way, shape or form meant to be worn for missions."

"I'm sure Frost never thought something like this would happen," he tried to reason as he helped her up.

Caitlin snorted. "Actually, she was probably hoping something exactly like this _would_ happen," she muttered.

Barry's eyebrows pinched confusingly, but Caitlin quickly waved away his question before he could even ask it. Her eyes instead roamed around the room they were currently in, so Barry decided to do much of the same.

"It looks like this is where they keep a bunch of their toys," she said as her eyes fell on a table filled with tech that they've heard about. It sort of resembled Cisco's workshop in a way.

The speedster's eyes then spotted something on the far wall that made him excitedly run over to the spot. "And apparently this is where they also keep the switch for their power dampener," he said, turning to show off his discovery to Caitlin.

Her face split into a huge grin as she made her way over to her friend and the switch. Barry pulled the lever down and a static like feeling was suddenly present in the air. It was clear the speedforce was active and running through his veins.

And as he successfully sped around the room, making sure his speed was in fact back, the doctor clasped her hands together joyfully. "Let's get out of here then," she said, and Barry didn't have to be told twice before he lifted her up in his arms, phased through the building, and ran all the way back to STAR Labs.

…

Barry had just given Cisco the jump drive, and the mechanical engineer was already hard at work to see if they caught anything that could help them in this case. As he waited, the speedster made his way to Caitlin's office.

As he poked his head through, he saw her standing by her desk, and his heart catched at the sight of her. She had since changed out of her Santa dress and instead was in some STAR Labs sweats as she scribbled something on a post-it note. And though she had looked absolutely gorgeous in the Santa dress, without a doubt, seeing her dressed down like this was something Barry enjoyed even more. It made him imagine lazy Sundays where they could just lounge on the couch, binging a new tv show, with her in his arms all day.

He shook his head of the thought before knocking on her door softly, trying hard not to startle her, but she still jumped ever so briefly anyway. "Oh hey, did Cisco find anything on the drive yet?"

He shook his head as he walked further into her office. "No, not yet. But he still has a lot to go through, so we're optimistic."

The doctor nodded in understanding. "Ooh!" she let out, before jumping up from her seat suddenly to grab something off the counter. "Before I forget, here's your jacket back," she said, handing it to Barry. "Um, thanks again for letting me use it..."

"No problem," the speedster answered as he took the jacket. "Why do you think Frost wore that dress tonight anyway? You seemed like you an idea earlier."

"Heh…" she let out nervously, biting down on her lower lip. "It's silly, really. Frost gets these wacky ideas in her head. Nothing to worry about."

Barry cocked his head to the side, a small smile in place as he watched her. "Humor me."

Her hands wrangled over each other. "Well...you see," she started, forcing out an awkward laugh, "she - she has this _crazy_ idea that you...have this... _thing_ for me," she said, her eyes watching and studying his reactions closely.

Barry's heart stuttered over its next beat. Frost had found him out. Was that the reason why she kept flirting with him? Did she want him to act on these feelings?

"Heh, crazy, huh?" Caitlin muttered out awkwardly, looking like she wanted to be anywhere but there.

The speedster could feel the lightning in his body hum through his veins, prompting him to take action in some way. "Actually," he began slowly, his voice wobbling as he swallowed, taking the few small steps closer to his personal physician, "It's not crazy at all."

Caitlin's eyes widened ever so slightly, her lips parted as she let out a quiet "Oh?"

A small huff of a laugh expelled from him at her reaction, enamored but it. "Yeah," he confirmed, excitement and nerves intertwined and bundled up in his chest as he then asked, "So...how about you...?"

"Me?" she asked, her voice high and rushed. "What - what about me?"

"Do - do you have a _thing_ for me too?" he asked with an unsteady optimism. He was trying to remain positive here, smiling and waiting patiently, but as the seconds trickled on, doubt started to overcome him. "Or...or was Frost just pranking us both?"

She bit down on her lower lip before turning to her desk. Barry watched on curiously as she opened up the second drawer and began rummaging through it. She swiveled back around with a box in hand, extending it towards him to take.

"What is this?" he asked puzzled as he took the box. He popped open the lid and saw vast amounts of post-it notes of all colors mixed up in the container. His eyebrows crinkled as he looked up Caitlin. "Your post-it notes with Frost? Why are you showing me this?"

She licked her lips, swallowing. "There's a reason why I have these hid away. Look at what they're about."

Taking a breath, Barry looked back down at the box, picking one up to read:

" _The past can hurt, but you can either run from it, or learn from it." Who said it? Barry Allen or a Disney movie? But seriously, the guy is a live-action Disney Prince. How do you stand it?  
__-Frost_

Barry rolled his eyes and went to read some more:

_Frost, can you please stop stabbing Barry with icicles during training?_  
_-Caity_  
_They're not lethal stabs! Plus, he heals fast! The boy needs to grow some._  
_-Frost_  
_You're not the one that has to clean it up! So quit it!_  
_-Caity_  
_Fineeeeeeee. I won't stab your loverrr anymore!  
_ _-Frost_

_Could you tell your heart to slow the F down when Barry walks into the room? I know you think he's all dreamy and shit, but it wakes me up for a second and that's irritating when there is nothing to punch!  
_ _-Frost_

_I'm going to help you get him._  
_-Frost_  
_Frost...what are you thinking?_  
_-Caity_  
_Frost? Answer me!  
_ _-Caity_

Barry shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around these snippets of conversations. He looked through a couple more, but they all had the same common factor. "These are all post-it notes about me," he commented.

She nodded. "Frost is a part of me, so she can feel what I feel. She has teased me mercicly about it, as you can see," she said with a wary laugh, pointing to the box filled with notes.

Barry set the box aside. "So you _do_ have a thing for me," he said, lips tilting upwards, his hope reigniting.

"Barry, it's more than just a _thing_. I…" she paused to look at him, her features softening, "I _love_ you! And this feeling has been the scariest thing I've felt in a long time!"

The speedster frowned. "And what? You don't think I feel just as strongly?"

Caitlin sighed. "Well…" she let out unsurely. "You tell me."

Barry opened his mouth to talk, but stopped as an idea formulated in his mind. "Be right back," he said before flashing off, only to come back seconds later with his own post-it note in hand. "Here," he said giving it to Caitlin to read. "And read it out loud, please."

Hesitantly, Caitlin looked down at the small note in her hands, her fingers playing at the edges. She cleared her throat as she began reading it:

" _All at once everything looks different, now that I see you. When I look at you, I can feel nothing but love. When I look at you, I'm home, where I truly belong."  
__-Barry_

Barry rubbed the back of his neck as she finished. "I really do sound like a Disney Prince, don't I?" he wondered aloud, and it made his personal physician giggle.

"Maybe," she admitted with a small, shy smile, that was only growing bigger the longer she looked at him, the note held close to her heart. "But that's always been one of the many reasons why I'm crazy about you."

The speedster grinned back, his eyes feeling starry as he took the necessary steps to get close to her, his hands going to her waist. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," she confirmed softly, her hands going to his chest, smoothing out the wrinkles in his dress shirt. "So…" she started nervously, biting her lower lip as she looked up at him under her eye-lashes. "Are we going to try this?"

Barry nodded. "And the best way to get started anything is to quit talking and start doing."

Her one eyebrow lifted in amusement, but she smiled nonetheless. "I think I get where you are going with this," she said, before clenching at his shirt for support as she connected their lips.

Barry smiled into the kiss, his hands traveling from her waist up to face, holding it and cherishing it like he's wanted to do for so long. Her lips, while slightly chilled, were so soft and delectable; he couldn't get enough.

"I think that was a good start," Caitlin joked as she pulled away, her breath ragged from the intense kiss.

Nuzzling his nose against hers dazedly, he agreed. "A perfect start," he added, tuckering her head under his and just holding her contently, hoping she could at least sense a hint of all the love and devotion that he was pouring into it.

"We should probably see if Cisco needs anything," she murmured into his chest, and his heart warmed at how intimate it all felt to have her this close and to know the next time wouldn't be so far away.

Barry sighed, reluctantly loosening his hold on his doctor. "If we must…"

"We must," she further insisted. "I don't want to have had worn that dress for nothing!" she joked.

"Right…" he agreed, turning thoughtful for a moment. "And just out of curiosity, uh, you - you didn't throw that Santa dress away, did you?"

"No," she answered warily. "Why?"

He shook his head. "No reason," he said, trying to play it off nonchalantly, but Caitlin's saw right through him.

A hearty laugh expelled out of her. "So that dress really did something for you, huh?" she asked.

The speedster stuck out his neck, rubbing at it uncomfortably. "I - well - yeah, like a lot," he babbly admitted, and he could feel his whole body burning, like he was laying on coals.

Luckily for him, Caitlin only giggled. "Well then, maybe if you're a good speedster, the dress will come out for a _very_ private event," she said to him, patting his chest.

"Private event?" he whispered to himself confusingly, before his eyes widened, realizing what Caitlin was insinuating. " _Ohhhhhhhhhhhh_."

"Ohhhhhhhhhh," Caitlin repeated with entertainingly wide eyes. "But first, we have to help Cisco find dirt on Miser, so we can take him down, right?"

"Right," Barry agreed, giving her a stern nod, bringing his focus back to the mission. "And then after Mission Miser is complete, Mission Santa is a go!" he said before hurriedly pulling an amused Caitlin into the Cortex, because they had no time to waste!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this took me forever to write. Not only did I start this fic last year, but today when trying to finish it up, it just kept going and going. So yeah…let me know what you think about this. As always, if you like what you are reading, PLEASE COMMENT. I love hearing your thoughts and it lets me know that you don't hate it. Lol.


	7. chemis-tree

Caitlin walked from the elevator to the Cortex, like she would any other morning, but today she was struck still by a moving body whirling back and forth, back and forth. And of course, the speed that this person was moving led her to eliminate all but only a couple individuals, and knowing only one had any reason to be in the building, she came to her conclusion.

"Barry? What are you doing?" she asked, perching herself against the entrance, watching him slide against the tile floor comically as he tried to stop so abruptly.

"Caitlin!" he let out in surprise. "What - what are you doing here so early?"

The doctor quickly looked at the watch on her wrist, showing that it was only a little past 8am. "This is my work. I've come to work," she stated laughingly, eyeing him weirdly.

Barry cocked his head to the side. "Y-yeah, but you usually come in a little... _later_ ," he said, grimacing slightly and fidgeting worse than Cisco's fidget spinner.

"I wanted to get a jump start on some things," she shared, taking a step into the Cortex and towards her office, but Barry was in front of her in a flash, her hair flying backwards at his sudden appearance.

"You sure you don't want to get some coffee first?" he asked, grabbing a hold of her arms to turn her around, guiding her towards their lounge area.

She let herself be walked for a couple paces before she stopped and turned around in his arms. "What is up with you?" she asked, eyeing him skeptically. "Why aren't you letting me go into my lab?"

He quickly licked his lips, avoiding her stare.

"What did you do to my lab?" she then rephrased warily, sensing he was hiding something from her. "Did you break something? My computer? A couple beakers?" she questioned before her eyes blew wide with a heartstopping thought. "Don't tell me you somehow managed to break my MRI machine!"

Barry lolled his head back in exasperation. "Relax, nothing is broken," he told her calmly, before sighing dejectedly. "I was just - I was just trying to surprise you with something but…"

"-but I came in early and you didn't complete whatever it was you were trying to do?" she guessed, finishing his sentence with a strained smile.

The speedster nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah…pretty much," he answered with a sheepish chuckle.

"Okay, well then," Caitlin began, clapping her hands together, "I'm going to go get a cup of coffee, and take my time doing so…" she said, eyeing the speedster knowingly.

The creases by his eyes doubled as he grinned so excitedly. "Thank you!" he hollered over his shoulder as he sped away, leaving Caitlin behind merely shaking her head amusingly at the speedster's antics before turning to head to the lounge; coffee definitely was a must.

.

"Barry?" she called out as she reached the entrance of the Cortex some 10 minutes later, a big cup of coffee being cradled in her hands. "Can I come in now?"

A gust of wind blasted against her face as Barry flashed in front of her, a dopey smile taking up his whole face. She could practically feel the buzz of his excitement radiating off of him. "It's complete," he answered. " _But,_ " he stressed, taking the coffee mug from her to set it down on the console, "I want to reveal this my way, so can I cover your eyes?" he asked, his face so happy and hopeful that she couldn't say no even if she wanted to.

"Sure, sure," she said, to which he beamed happily from, causing her own lips to quirk up into a smile as he carefully cupped his hands over her eyes and slowly guided her into her office space. All the while, her mind was scrambling at the possibilities of what Barry had done, her own excitement rising as she thought about it.

"Now let's turn around a little," he directed, his voice right besides her ear, causing a slight shiver to travel up her spine as she cautiously rotated in place. "Okay…" he breathed out, his enthusiasm tangible as he lifted his hands.

Caitlin's breath hitched as she took in her office space, finding it all decked out for the Christmas season. Fairy lights and garland were interwinted and lit along the perimeter of the room. Red and green streamers and snowflakes hung from the ceiling. Her counter doors were covered in brown paper and made to look like a gingerbread house with all the candy-like decorations that were hand-crafted to look like mints and gumdrops and candy canes and more, alongside two gingerbread men. Fake snow was sprayed along the sides of the window that divided her office from the treatment room and had a snowman off to the corner with a speech bubble wishing her a Merry Christmas. And there was so much more, so much. Even with his speed, she imagined this had taken a while.

It was all very overwhelming to see the time he not only too to set this all up, but the planning too. Her mouth could only drop open in awe as she took it all in.

"Do you like it?" Barry eventually asked after watching her quietly for a minute or two. "I've just noticed that you never really decorate your office - but you love Christmas," he further explained.

Caitlin turned to him, her eyes watery and starry with appreciation. "Like it? I.." - However, it was then that her eyes caught something peculiar in the corner that she hadn't seen prior - "What is that?"

Barry's brows pinched, his expression confused before he followed her eyesight, only to laugh when he saw what she was referring to. "Oh, that's your tree."

"My tree?" she said, looking at Barry like he was crazy, because all she saw was an assortment of her flasks connected to her ring stand.

His face lit up, eager to show her his logic as he walked over to the little display. "See? The ring stand is obviously the tree trunk. The ring clamps are the branches. The flasks are filled with different colors to resemble lights...or maybe even ornaments too! And the way they are arranged, it's supposed to look more triangular. And to top it off, I put a snowflake topper on it!"

Caitlin cocked her head to the side, looking at the display carefully. In hindsight, it did resemble a tree. "Yeah, I think I do see it now."

"It's a Chemis- _tree_!" the speedster proudly boasted. "Get it? It's like a tree but made from chemistry elements elements and-"

"I get it," she interrupted him, snorting as she strode up to him, placing her hands on his chest as she reached him.

"You think it's lame, don't you?" he asked, scrunching his nose up, scratching his head. "I forgot to get a tree and I was trying to improvise," he confessed.

She stared right into his beautiful emerald eyes, unwaveringly. "I think it's cute, and thoughtful, and it's represents us perfectly," she expressed sincerely, cupping his face in her hands before pressing a grateful kiss against his. "and I love it. I love you."

His eyes softened as his arms snaked around her waist. "I love you too," he mumbled against her lips, his nose nuzzling hers.

The doctor hummed contently in his arms, her head falling to his chest as her eyes continued to look at the decorations in pure wonderment. "Thank you, Barry."

"Anytime, Cait. Always for you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy everyone. Sorry I missed yesterday, but I've been going through a writing funk. But please let me know what you thought of this story. I love hearing from the readers and hearing their thoughts!


	8. angel of the bar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a small AU. Just know in this story, the main difference is that Joe never let Barry stay with him. Enjoy!

Barry Allen was seated at the counter of the local dive bar, swirling his shot around and around in his glass before chugging it down swiftly. He immediately signaled for the bartender to bring him another. The bar was dead anyway, with it being Christmas and all. Most people had families or friends to visit and celebrate with, but not him. No, he hadn't had that in a very long time.

As the bartender boredly poured him another shot, Barry ran a tired hand down his face, finding a weird comfort as he passed the bristles of his ungroomed beard. This time of year was always the worst for him, and he had learned that the best way to get through it was to drown himself in enough alcohol so he couldn't even remember it.

As the shot glass was filled, Barry's hand immediately scooped it up and raised it hungrily to his lips. However, the bar door opened with a thud, drawing his attention away as the bright light from the street lamp out front flooded into the dreary bar, backlighting a woman walking timidly into the establishment.

Barry's jaw went slack as his eyes followed the woman, who was making her way to the bar counter, taking a tentative seat towards the end. As she shedded her coat and draped it over the back of the chair, he saw that she was wearing a cream sweater dress that made her look oh-so comfy and knee-high black boots that showed off her very, very long legs. Her hair was wavy and pristine looking, despite the few flurries of snow that still clung to it. She was divinely beautiful - too beautiful for a seedy place like this.

"What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" he found himself asking, smirk playing across his lips as he threw back his shot, letting the alcohol pleasantly burn down his throat.

The sudden question made her jump, her eyes round as her face turned to him. "Because it was open," she answered stiffly, wrapping her arms around herself, looking away as she bit down on her lower lip.

Sensing she wasn't in the mood for a chit chat with a weird stranger in a bar - not that he blamed her - he kept his mouth shut from asking her anymore questions. But he just couldn't help but stare at her as she politely flagged down the bartender and ordered a drink, captivated not only by her beauty but by just the mystery of her in general.

"What?" she hissed out, eventually her eyes flickering to him self-consciously.

"N-nothing," he stuttered, clearing his throat at the odd nervousness he was suddenly experiencing. "You - you just don't look like the kind of person to be seen in a bar like this."

She raised a brow, her hair swaying as she shook her head. "Oh? Then what is the criteria for this bar then? The washed-up, Danny Zuko type?" she asked, her tone defensive as she looked him up and down pointedly.

Pinching his eyebrows inward, Barry looked down at himself curiously. It was true that he was wearing black jeans and black boots with a simple white t-shirt under his black leather jacket just like the _Grease_ character did. But considering he hadn't shaved in awhile nor cared to do anything with his hair this morning, he couldn't argue with her fast assessment of him, though he was still left dumbfounded.

"Oh, my god," he heard the stranger breath, making his eyes dart back to her. "I don't know why I said that. That was terribly rude of me. I'm sorry!"

Maybe it was the juxtaposition of her - all gorgeous and elegant and sweet - being in this lowly bar combined with the alcohol finally taking its toll, because instead of becoming angered by her burn like he would've usually, he laughed. "No, no, don't be sorry," he said through his laughter, the kind that involuntarily pushed up from the pit of his stomach. "That was good," he praised. "Really good."

Her cheeks grew flushed as she dipped her head, her fingers fretting over the glass the bartender had set down during their exchange. "Yeah, well, I still shouldn't have said that."

Getting up from his seat, he walked over to her. "Mind if sit here?" he asked, gesturing to the chair next to her.

Her eyes looked him over - from his messy James Dean hair to his beard and worn leather jacket - before nodding towards the seat. "Sure," she answered meekly.

He smiled at her as he took a seat. "Barry," he introduced himself.

She still looked weary of him, but nevertheless she answered. "Caitlin."

He then signaled for a beer, watching her intently all the while. "So, _Grease_ , huh?"

For the first time since she entered the bar, her lips lifted upwards ever so briefly. "It's one of my favorite movies," she shared shyly. "Plus, it seemed fitting," she continued, her eyes ranking over his figure once again before looking forward, her eyes intent on her drink.

"Well, I'm flattered. It's one of my favorites too," he admitted, "Though _Singin' in the Rain_ is my favorite musical, hands down," he further shared, though he wasn't entirely sure why he told her that, but there was just something about her that made him calm and open and trusting, like if he were to spontaneously fall ill, he felt like she would take care of him.

She wrinkled her nose, the small grin on her lips opening up wider. It only made her look even more breathtaking, like she was an angel who had yet to claim her wings.

"Seriously, what are you doing here in a dump like this?" he asked again.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she instead asked.

Barry smugly grinned at her deflection, but humored her. "I'm here because I have no one."

She was doubtful, if the quick rise of her one eyebrow was any indication. "Really? No family? No friends? No…" she trailed, looking over his form again, "gang?"

A huff of an amused chuckle expelled from him. "I'm in no gang," he assured her, but sighed nevertheless. "Though maybe I would have someone to spend Christmas with if I was," he commented thoughtfully, before taking a swig of his own drink.

Caitlin's eyes lingered on him for a moment, her gaze flickering all over his face. "But you're too good for that," she assessed after a long pause, like it was a statement that was printed small on his forehead for people to read if they gave a damn enough to look.

He snorted. "Says the lady who just thought I might be in a gang."

She rolled her eyes. "First impressions aren't always correct, but, I don't know, I can just sense that you have this goodness about you…"

"Well, I can promise you that I am no saint," he quipped, taking a long drawl of his drink. He had seen the inside of a jail cell a couple times in his life. Most cases were in his youth for petty crimes though, like shoplifting.

"Your eyes," she elaborated, her gaze boring into them. "They aren't ones of a hardened criminal."

"Mmm, were you getting lost in them?" he cheekily asked, flashing her a smirk.

She rolled her eyes again, but a smile was still evident on her face. "You can try to convince me otherwise, but despite your exterior trying to convey one thing, you can't be too bad if you're a fan of musicals."

He sputtered out a laugh, nodding. "What are you? A shrink?"

"No, no," Caitlin denied laughably. "Unless you want to pay me by the hour."

He chuckled around his bottle before taking a long sip. "You'd go running for the hills if you had me for a client."

"That bad, huh?" she wondered.

He nodded. "If you consider my mom getting murdered when I was 11 years old and then my dad getting wrongly convicted for it, leaving me to get shipped foster home to foster home every year, then yeah, maybe…" he confessed before taking another long sip of his beer. "And that's the cliff notes version," he added with a stunted laugh, banging the counter for the bartender to give him another drink.

Her eyes saddened, the corners of her mouth turning downward, and he mentally cursed himself for the word vomit.

"I'm sorry," she muttered.

Barry waved it off. "No, I'm sorry. I think I just completely obliterated any Christmas spirit left in this dump," he said, his eyes wandering around the bleak bar before settling back on her.

Her teeth caught her bottom lip as she looked away thoughtfully, eyes intent on her glass in front of her. "I lost a parent too when I was young, my dad."

"Caitlin, you don't have to tell me your story if you don't want to..."

"But I want to," she told him earnestly. "I think we both need to get some baggage off our backs. Don't you think?"

Bobbing his head around, he conceded. "I guess..."

"So anyway, my mom, she, um, she shut everyone out...even me after his death, and I never understood how she could do that. But then 5 years ago, my fiancé died, and it looks like I'm just following in my mother's footsteps of being stone cold and _frosty_..."

Barry frowned, assessing her over, from her cozy sweater dress to those rich brown eyes of hers, while also taking in the warmth of her company. "You don't seem so frosty to me," he told her genuinely.

Caitlin let out a small laugh of disbelief. "I called you a washed up Danny Zuko when I first got here."

Barry shrugged. "I was a creepy stranger guy back then, but now you know better," he told her. "I'm Barry, a washed up Danny Zuko, but a very charming one, that also happens to love musicals," he finished, grinning blazingly at her.

She giggled, and the sound made him feel that his heart was outgrowing his chest; it was so full.

"See? How can a giggle like that come from someone said to be too cold?" he told her gently, feeling himself going lax and his eyes softening as he continued to look at her.

Her cheeks flushed to a beautiful rose red color, before a tint of sadness overcast her eyes. "Tell that to the people I'm freezing out then," she said as she took a quick sip of her drink, wincing as the rawness of the liquor went down her throat.

"Well, who are you freezing out? Other family? Friends?" he questioned, before giving her a once over. "Book club members?" he added teasingly.

"Ha ha," Caitlin let out dryly, but the sadness that had been filtered over her eyes eased, bringing some light back into them. "Mainly co-workers. Some of them I once considered my friends, but since my fiancé died, they've all given me a wide berth..." she detailed with a sigh. "Heard a couple of them talk about me the other day actually…"

"Well then they're assholes," Barry boasted, causing Caitlin to snort at his bluntness. "Everyone grieves differently and some things are harder to get over than others. Hell, some days the pain is as worse as the day it happened," he expressed, his eyes drifting to the side as he thought of his mother, followed by the inevitable pang in his heart.

He looked back to Caitlin to find her eyes zeroed in on him, nodding along to his words in understanding.

"But in the end, it's their loss, because they obviously don't know what they're missing," he told her, nudging her arm with his elbow.

Her face split into a grateful grin. "Thanks," she told Barry. "And I've been trying to be better. I've been trying to talk to people again. Been trying to show that I care. Hell, I almost went to a Christmas party tonight, but I chickened out on the way over and…"

"ended up here," Barry finished lowly to himself, finally getting an answer to his question from earlier. He pursed his lips, letting the new information sink into his brain. "What made you chicken out? Don't like the host that much?"

She shook her head humorously. "No, no, Cisco is actually someone I considered my best friend - a brother even. And every year he would invite me over to his place for Christmas, knowing I was estranged from my family as much as he was from his. It's just that Ronnie, my fiancé, used to go with me, and he died around this time of year…" she trailed off with a lick of her lips.

"It all reminds you of him now," Barry deducted.

"Yeah…"

"I get that," Barry said with a sigh. "My mom died around this time of year too and...nothing's ever felt the same. But this Cisco guy, he's been inviting you even after your fiancé passed?"

"It's probably a pity invite more than anything anymore," she dismissed. "Like I said, I've been pushing him away ever since Ronnie's accident."

Barry raised his brow at 'accident,' wondering just what that meant. Did this _Ronnie_ die in something like a car accident? Or was it something more well designed and freakish? But he knew asking her now wasn't the way to go, so he discarded that fact, folding it up in his mind and tucking it away for a further time, if there ever was one.

"Well, I think if this Cisco is still asking you to this party 5 years later, then he still considers you his friend. And this might be his way of showing you that he's just patiently waiting for you to be ready."

She swallowed. Her big brown eyes were locked on his. So much vulnerability evident. "You think so?"

He shrugged. "Only one way to find out..." he said, sending her a knowing glance.

She nodded. "You're right," she let out breathlessly before standing up from her stool. "I'm going to go to Cisco's," she said determinedly, her lips spread wide with revived excitement.

He smiled, hoping it was encouraging enough since a part of him was sad to see her go. "Good for you."

"Thanks, Barry," she said before she tentatively and unexpectedly reached over and hugged him.

To say Barry was surprised was an understatement. He was flabbergasted at the random gesture, but as the shock wore off, he stood up to hug her back.

With her in his arms, time felt like it existed on another dimension. And his senses were heightened but only on her. Like how she felt so soft and molded against him so perfectly like they were a lock and key. How she smelled of vanilla and blueberries with a hint of the alcohol she had been sipping, and it was all leaving him more intoxicated than anything he had to drink that night. But after a few seconds, she pulled away, taking the sensations with her.

"You looked like you needed one," she answered the question that was on the tip of his tongue, shy smile in place.

"Thanks," he choked out, goosebumps erupting as his body tingled from the residue feeling of her touch.

Caitlin picked up her things, hope glimmering behind her eyes. "See you around, Barry, and thanks again for the talk."

He cleared his throat. "Anytime," he said, raising his drink out towards her as a farwell. "You know where to find me if you need to talk again," he told her, and he truly hoped this wouldn't be the last time he saw her.

She smiled sweetly at him. "And if you're not here, I'll just assume you're at home watching a musical," she chided as took a few steps backward towards the door.

He chuckled. "So you've been thinking about what I do at home," he commented, a smirk itching up his face. "Do you think of me doing anything else too?" he wondered, eyebrows jumping playfully, his gaze steady on her.

Her face flooded with a massive blush, eyes diverting as she snorted. He wished in that moment alone that he had the ability to read minds, just to know what thoughts were bouncing through her mind, like if they were mirroring his own at all. She cleared her throat. "I - I better get going. You know, before it gets too late..."

"Right…" he let out, chuckling. "Well, have fun, Caitlin," he told her, wishing she really didn't have to go, but know she had to. "I mean it."

She nodded her head, lips pursing cutely before she laughed, her face morphing into a nervous grimace. "Here I go…" she said, before turning around and walking out the bar door.

Barry stared at that door for a few more moments. He doesn't know why. Maybe he was hoping she'd come back in and talk some more. But as the seconds rolled into a few minutes, Barry deducted that she had actually gone, and she wasn't going to come back. Probably never would.

Sighing, he sat back down on his stool and turned to the counter. The whole bar looked drearier than before, even the wood of the counter looked duller. He looked down at his beer and even the desire to drown his sorrows was mute.

"Can I pay my tab?" he asked the bartender, holding up his card for them to take. He suddenly didn't want to be here anymore.

.

Barry walked out of the bar door, immediately feeling the briskness of the winter night air. The street lamp above kept flickering as he padded down his pockets in search for his keys. He thought he had put them in his jacket pocket, but he was coming up short.

He scratched the side of his head, wondering if they had dropped out in the bar. He was about to turn around to go back into the building to look when the street light above stayed lit for just a moment longer than usual, giving Barry just enough time to notice a familiar figure leaning against his bike. His heart fluttered with a warmth.

"Caitlin?"

She smirked, her hands shoved deep into her pockets. "Took you long enough."

"What are you…"

"You really didn't think I would let you celebrate Christmas alone, did you?"

His eyebrows furrowed, chuckling. "So...you were just going to stay here and let yourself turn into a popsicle until I came out?"

Caitlin let out an adorable huff, her breath coming out in a little cloud. "I was trying to create a moment here. Kind of like in those musicals you just love."

"Oh yeah?" he said, raising an eyebrow, tongue in cheek. "You going to serenade me then?"

She wrinkled her nose. "Pretty sure that would have the opposite effect of what I want."

A smugness took over his expression as he sauntered closer to her. "And what is it that you want?" he asked, his voice low and husky.

Caitlin's eyes flickered to his lips for a second before looking back into his own. "For you to come to the Christmas party with me, of course."

He chuckled, shaking his head amusingly. "Ah, right. Well, I don't know..."

"Oh come on," she bemoaned. "You said you were here because you had no one," she reminded him, her eyes looking imploringly up into his own. "But you're not alone anymore. You have me."

Barry's heart bungee jumped, his stomach queasy like he was in free fall. "Do I?"

"Yes, you do," she stated matter-of-factly, patting his chest. "You can't shake me off that easily."

Not like he ever wanted to. "Alright, fine, I'll go," he told her, which caused Caitlin to beam. "But first I have to find my keys," he said, patting his body again. "I can't find them, but I swore they were in one of these pockets…"

Without preamble, Caitlin took a step into his personal space, her hands rummaging through the pockets of his jacket and quickly coming out with his keys swinging around her finger. "I thought I felt them when I was hugging you earlier."

He plucked the keys from her. "You sure you weren't just trying to feel... _other_ things?" he implied impishly.

"You wish," she countered laughably.

"I do," he said with a wink, causing her face to pink. "And wait until you ride it," he continued, wiggling his eyebrows comically.

"Barry!" she hollered, her tone a mixture of humorous and scandalous.

"What?" he let out innocently with a shrug of his shoulders. "I was talking about the motorcycle. What were you thinking?" he asked, looking at her and trying his damndest not to laugh.

She crossed her arms with a shake of her head. "Nothing, let's go."

Barry finally broke his facade as he chuckled. "You ever ride on a motorcycle before?" he asked, throwing a leg over the bike.

"No," she admitted, biting down on that lower lip of hers again; it seemed to be a habit of hers. "You have helmets though, right?"

"Afraid not," he said, starting up his engine and revving it ever so slightly. "But I'll drive safe," he promised as he patted the seat behind him. "Hop on," he hollered cheekily.

She rolled her eyes with a tsk before tentatively taking a seat. "You really should consider getting helmets."

"I'll keep that in mind," he yelled over his shoulder so that she would hear him over the engine before yelling, "Hold on!" which prompted her to wrap her arms around his middle with a vice grip, her chest flushing against his back. _I definitely could get used to this,_ he thought as he revved the engine once more, a happy grin overtaking his face as he took off down the road and towards the Christmas party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! If you celebrated Christmas, I hope you had a great one! If not, I still hope you've been well. If you follow me on twitter, you'll know that I had to take a break from this since the motivation to write these were low. It just hasn't felt like many people have been reading this year and it was bumming me out, but I WILL finish this, so here is this little AU that I hope you like. PLEASE COMMENT and let me know your thoughts about it!
> 
> Happy New Year!


	9. mission santa II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little disclaimer, this chapter is bumped up to maybe a T rating, but it's nothing TOO mature; this isn't "No Fine Print" afterall. ;)

"Well, at least you guys were able to close that Miser case in time for Christmas," Joe said to everyone gathered around in his living room at his annual Christmas Eve party.

The gang all nodded their heads gratefully to the statement. It had been a gruesome couple weeks, but they finally managed to dig dirt on Miser, which led to the revelation that not only was he leading a massive illegal operation, but that he was also a meta with cold powers (Frost definitely came in handy when taking him down). But Barry would go through the whole stressful ordeal over and over again if given the chance. Because not only did they bring some peace back to Central City by taking down Miser, but it also catalyzed the beginning of his relationship with Caitlin.

Barry looked over at the doctor just then. She was sitting next to him on the couch, talking animatedly to Cynthia and Wally about the case, filling them in on details they had missed. And the speedster just couldn't help but watch her, smiling as she gestured wildly with her hands, her cheeks flushing with enthusiasm.

"You have anything to add, Mr. Allen?" she then asked moments later, turning to him, her lips curled with amusement and a mischievous light dancing in her eyes.

"Hmm?" he let out, eyebrows pinching as his mind tried to process the change. He looked to Cynthia and Wally who were smirking knowingly at him before they got up to converse with other people.

Caitlin hand went to his thigh, bringing his attention back to her. "You were staring," she pointed out humorously.

Barry grinned, his eyes roaming over her teasing face lovingly. "Well, I just can't enough," he said before laying a smiling peck against her lips.

"Mmm, you say that now."

"And I will continue to say it," he vowed, plopping another kiss against her mouth, as if to further convince her, because Barry knew, more than anything in his life up to that point, that she was it. It may have taken him longer to realize it than he'd care to admit, but reflecting back before he even fully realized his feelings, he knew he still looked at Caitlin the same - with the same respect, awe, wonder, and love. And if she would have him, he knew he would continue to look at her like that for years and years to come.

Suddenly, the sound of someone clearing their throat broke the pair apart. It was Joe, looking at the two entertainingly, visibly holding back a chuckle. "Sorry to interrupt, but my famous Apple Pie just came fresh out of the oven. Better get a slice before the vultures over there eat it all," he said, his eyes flicking to everyone crowded around the dinner table, all waiting for their turn at a slice of the pie.

"Mmmmm," Barry let out as he stood up from the couch, rubbing his hands together excitedly, causing Joe to laugh. "Come on, Cait."

"Actually…" Caitlin started heistently as she stood up too, causing the two men to turn to her curiously, "I was thinking of leaving just now."

The detective frowned. "If you don't like my pie, you don't have to leave," he joked.

Caitlin smiled sweetly at him, shaking her head amusingly. "No, no it's not that," she assured the older man. "I love your pie, it's just that it's getting late and I'm getting quite tired…"

"Understandable, with Miser and all," Joe said with a nod. "I'll see if I can save you a slice before there's nothing left," he said with a wink, prompting the two to laugh as they shared a parting hug before he walked towards the dining room where everyone else was.

Barry's brows stitched up together in the middle, looking at his girlfriend with concern. "Are you getting sick? Do you need me to take you home?"

Caitlin lightly laughed as she wound her arms around his neck. "I'm fine. Stay here with your family," she told him, her fingers running through the back of his hair and down the nape of his neck, enticing chills as cold as Frost's icicles down his spine. "It's just been a long day."

He hummed, his hands going to her waist and his thumbs swiping over her hip bones through her dress. He had wanted to ask her back to his place, not necessarily with any expectations in my mind, but merely so that she would be the first thing he saw come Christmas morning. But he wasn't going to keep her if she was really that tired.

"I'm still going to see you tomorrow though...right?" he asked tentatively.

"First thing tomorrow morning."

"Good," he said smilingly as he kissed her forehead and then her lips once more. "Text me when you get home."

"Will do," she said with a light pat against his chest. "Love you."

His heart leapt at the sound of those words escaping her lips, and being directed at him, no less. Just like they did the dozen or so other times she had said it to him in the days prior. But it was still so surreal to hear; he could barely compute it.

"Love you too."

.

It was just about midnight as Barry trudged up to his apartment door, letting out a tired sigh as he fished his keys from his pocket. He just wanted to get in and go directly to bed. Caitlin had the right idea when she left early - and he really should've gone with her in hindsight - but it had been awhile since Wally and all had visited, so he decided sacrificing a couple more hours of sleep would be worth it, but now he just wanted to get into his apartment and sleep. However, when he opened his door to enter his studio apartment, he could make out the faint glow of his Christmas tree glimmering, which would have been fine, if he had kept it on.

Barry's body instinctively tensed as he cautiously walked further into the apartment, his mind whirling over the possibilities of what lied ahead. But his entire demeanor deflated as he turned the corner and saw his favorite doctor standing by the tree. And amongst her were a plethora of candles lit around the room, giving off a flourishing romantic warmth.

"Cait…" he let out softly, relief and happiness overwhelming him. "What are you-" he started, but paused as he finally noticed her attire with bugged eyes. She was wearing the Santa dress, and suddenly he felt like all the air in his lungs was sucked right out. "What- what are you doing here?" he tried again, his voice strangled.

"I told you I'd see you first thing in the morning."

Barry checked his watch, seeing it was just passed Midnight, and he couldn't help but chuckle. "I - I didn't think you meant so... _literally_."

"I wanted it to be a surprise," she said with a simple shrug, looking down at herself sheepishly, her hands trying to discreetly pull down the hem of the dress.

"Well, I am... _very_ surprised," he let out breathily, swallowing at the image of her in this incredibly short Santa dress that clung to her like saran wrap, leaving _very little_ to the imagination. He had practiced restraint when she wore it first, since he had not wanted to make her more uncomfortable, but now, knowing she was wearing it for him, it enticed all types of feelings to flare through him.

"Is this too soon?" she then asked, breaking his concentration. She bit down on her lower lip unsurely, her hands fidgeting at her sides.

His brows furrowed as he confusingly tilted his head at her.

"Oh my god," she then bellowed, throwing her hands up to cover her face. "I'm making a fool of myself, aren't I?"

Now he was properly confused. "What? No, no!" he assured her as he stepped into her personal space. He reached up to pull her hands down from her face to find her cheeks beet red and blotchy. "You're not a fool. Why would you ever think that?"

"I told you that when we got Miser that I would wear the dress for you again, and you seemed into it at the time, so since we caught him, I thought I'd set this up, but just now, you were looking at me like I had sprouted another head!"

"That's _definitely_ not what I was thinking," he muttered huskily, but it went unheard as Caitlin kept talking.

"I thought I'd try my hand at being spontaneous and romantic - I'm really out of my element here! - especially since this will be our first time. But you're probably really tired and just want to go to sleep and I'm bothering you and-"

"Cait," he sternly called, cupping her face, causing her to abruptly stop. "Breathe."

The doctor visibly did as instructed.

"You're something else," he revered with a fond laugh, his thumbs caressing her cheeks.

" _Barry_ , don't laugh, _please_."

"I'm not laughing at the situation. You're just - you're too adorable at times."

She frowned. "That's kind of the opposite of what I'm going for here," she said, pointedly looking down at the dress again.

The speedster's eyes followed hers and he bit back a groan. "And you're _definitely_ succeeding."

Her brows furrowed. "But you weren't saying anything…"

"Because you had me stunned speechless!"

"I did?" she let out surprisingly.

Barry let out another laugh. "You really have no idea of the effect you have on me, do you?" She looked confused, so Barry proceeded to guide her hand over his beating heart. "You feel that?"

Caitlin mutely nodded, her dark doe eyes staring curiously up into his own.

"You cause that every time I see you because you're always so effortlessly amazing and gorgeous and beautiful and _drop dead sexy_ ," he told her, "but _especially_ right now, you're all that and so much more that I feel like my brain is constantly short-circuiting."

She cleared her throat, the worry that had been plastered over her face melting away. "So...this isn't too fast?"

He chuckled, looking at her incredulously as his arms wound around her waist, pulling her flushed against him. "I'd say it's not fast enough, Dr. Snow."

Caitlin's lips immediately curled up to one side, her already dark eyes growing darker. "Is that so?" she fauxly wondered as she tilted her head forward, eyes concentrated on his lips.

"Mmhmm," Barry happily hummed out, eyes fluttering closed as the distance between them shortened and their mouths met in a cherished kiss that they both readily deepened.

The speedster could feel his eyes rolling further back in his head as their tongues intertwined, tasting the pure essence of her mixed with a tang of residual eggnog. Her slender fingers - the same ones that stitched him up after missions - were unraveling him as they crept up under his sweater and sashayed across his abdomen, enticing chills that made his dick twitch. All his senses were consumed by Caitlin and Caitlin alone, and while it made his heart inflate and lift like a hot air balloon, she somehow managed to keep him grounded and in the moment with her.

Caitlin broke their kiss moments later, both of their breaths labored as she then attempted to pull his sweater up his torso. She got stuck as she tried to lift it over his head, leaning up on her tippy toes and all. Barry chuckled as he heard her curse the piece of clothing for not being easier to rip off.

"Impatient to see my goods?" he smirkingly asked as the wool fabric finally lifted over his head, fraying his hair upwards and to the side, before she discarded it blindly behind her.

"It wasn't fair; you were dressed to the hilt and I'm nearly naked here."

He smirked. "Not nearly naked enough though," he murmured against her neck as he began sucking and nibbling down the sensitive skin. He felt her vocal cords vibrate underneath his lips as she laughed, and felt victorious and a little bit smug as that laughter transformed into a moan under his ministrations.

Barry's fingers skimmed down her hip and under her dress, his hand encompassing her thigh. It was so silkily smooth, meaning she probably just shaved, and the implications behind that almost drove him mad with desire.

He needed her. _Now_.

"Ooh," the doctor let out in surprise as the speedster reached down to lift her, hoisting her around his waist as he walked her to his bed nearby.

He plopped her down gently on the bed, a cute giggle escaping his favorite doctor as she landed with a tiny hop. And she just looked a million shades hotter in his bed, propped up on her elbows with her hair teased and that damn Santa dress bunched up. His heart pounded resoundly in his ears as he just admired her, the anticipation of what was going to happen had his skin vibrating just enough for him to feel fuzzy from head to toe.

"Barry," she called out gently, her lips curling up amusingly, "are you short-circuiting again?"

He chuckled, feeling his face burning up. "Kinda. Maybe a little," he meekly confessed.

Caitlin sat up, reaching behind her back. The sound of the dress' zipper was then heard moving downwards. "Are you not able to help me out of this then?" she asked coyly, her eyes impossibly large and dark.

Barry quickly dropped his trousers to the floor, nearly tripping over them in his haste to join Caitlin in the bed. Both of them laughed at the blunder, but paid it no further attention as the speedster playfully tackled her down on the mattress and gave her a long, languid kiss, their hips grinding fervently as hands wandered. His lips then migrated down her neck and across her chest, before grabbing the material of the dress and laying a trail of even more kisses down her body as he tugged the dress lower and lower.

.

"Well, that was... _wow_ ," Barry let out breathlessly, looking up at the ceiling as his mind scrambled to get back to its regular, functioning order.

"Very wow," he heard Caitlin agree, her words just as labored as his. "Merry Christmas to us."

Barry chuckled as he turned on his side to face Caitlin, finding her eyes closed and lips parted. His gaze then wandered down her neck to the swells of her breasts, where her chest was still heaving from their lovemaking. He reached out instinctively, idly drawing his finger around her belly button, taking in the softness and coolness that was her skin as he just continued to gaze at her lovingly.

"Don't be getting any ideas," she said, peeking her one eye open. "As good as that was, I think I'm too exhausted for a second round tonight."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "That's not what I was thinking," he told her before pressing a kiss against her bare shoulder.

Her other eye opened as she raised a brow. "Oh really?"

" _Really_ ," he affirmed. "Because I'm tired too."

Caitlin snorted, before turning to face Barry. "Mind if I stay the night then?"

He blissfully grinned. "I'd prefer it," he told her, before reaching for the blanket by their feet and draping it over their bodies gingerly. He then wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her over to him so that her chest was smushed up against his. "Because there was nothing I wanted more for Christmas than to wake up next to you."

Her eyes went soft and starry. "God, I love you," she whispered out, raising her hand to caress his cheek.

The speedster leaned into her touch, his heart leaping at those words like they always did, and kissed her palm, his mouth widening as he stared at her with the utmost adoration. "I love you too."

A warm, content smile took over her face as she nestled her head under his chin, her hand resting over his heart. "Night, Barry."

"Night, Cait," he said, smiling to himself as he nuzzled his head against her own, sleep welcoming him quickly with her by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another one! My goal is to finish these oneshots before January ends, but we'll see how that goes. Lol. The next one is almost done, so hopefully the wait between these chapters isn't too long. Let me know what you think of this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! PLEASE COMMENT and tell me your thoughts about it! :)


	10. the parade

"Ooh, this is interesting," Caitlin expressed gleefully as she scrolled through a website.

"What's interesting?" Cisco asked monotonously. He was leaning back in his seat with his feet propped up on the table, throwing a tennis ball in the air, over and over again, in his boredom. (It was a slow day at STAR Labs).

"I was just searching if there were any interesting Christmas activities happening in the area, and apparently there is this really cute parade taking place in Blue Valley."

"Meh."

Caitlin frowned. "Oh, come on! From the pictures they have from last year's, all the floats are creatively designed and prettily lit up" - she looked over at her friend who still looked unconvinced - "Didn't you say you wanted to take Cynthia to something Christmas-y, since Earth-19 has a rather grotesque way of celebrating?"

The mechanical engineer paused just as he was about to throw the tennis ball back up. He looked over at the doctor, eyebrows raised. "I did…" he said measuredly.

She grinned. "This would be a perfect way to show her how we celebrate Christmas. Not to mention, it's going to be at night, meaning it's going to be colder, and you guys could snuggle under a blanket and drink hot chocolate as the parade goes by," she detailed, her eyes glinting a bit wistfully, wishing she had someone to do that with, but she quickly pushed that thought aside.

Cisco watched her for a beat, his face thoughtful, before dropping his feet to the ground and standing up. "You're going to invite Barry too, right?"

Her heart skipped a beat at just the sound of his name. She licked her lips. "Yeah...Why?"

He nodded his head, mumbling things under his breath, more to himself than at her.

" _Cisco!_ "

His head snapped up. "Huh, what? Nothing. Nothing! Just wondering," he said, shrugging innocently enough. "I don't need you cramping my and Cynthia's style by third-wheeling."

The doctor playfully scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Gee, thanks, Cisco. You sure know how to make a girl feel welcomed."

He chuckled. "Oh, you'll be thanking me for real at the end of that night though," he hollered on his way out.

Caitlin's face scrunched all up. _Thanking him for what?_

…

On the day of the parade, Barry, Caitlin, Cisco and Cynthia all met in the speed lab, wearing their warmest winter clothes and armed with the essentials of what they'd need - blankets, chairs, and a thermos of delicious hot chocolate. For clandestined travel, a breach was then created to a deserted alley in Blue Valley that was not far from the parade, but secluded enough to pop out unseen.

"Wow!" Caitlin let out in awe as the group exited the alley. The town had been lavishly decorated for the Christmas season. Everywhere they looked had garlands and lights and snow and more!

"It's like Christmas threw up," Cisco muttered, looking at the same sights with distaste.

Caitlin frowned just as she saw Cynthia swat at Cisco's arm. " _I_ think it looks great."

The mechanical engineer ducked his head, slouching. "Me too, me too," he meekly insisted.

The doctor shook her head at the pair, laughing quietly to herself. She was glad they got back together; they were good for each other.

"Well, I love it." Caitlin stated, fondly looking at the town, the festiveness feeling in the air inflating her lungs and going straight to her heart.

"I love it too," she then heard Barry say close to her ear, giving her goosebumps that she was glad her winter layers were covering. She turned her head, seeing Barry next to her, already looking at her with a heart-bursting grin. "It's like they created their own little Winter Wonderland."

"It does look like that," she agreed, smiling at the description he used. "The website showed more of the parade stuff, so I wasn't expecting the town to look like... _this_ ," she continued, gazing at her surroundings once more - she honestly felt like a little kid who found Santa's workshop. "It's so beautiful!"

"Yeah...it is…" Barry said, and when Caitlin turned back to him, he was still looking at her, his expression serene.

But her attention was quickly torn away as an arm came abruptly down on her shoulders. "Where are we setting up shop, Snow Patrol?" Cisco asked. "If I hold these chairs much longer, my arms might fall off."

Caitlin rolled her eyes at her friend's theatrics before she took out a map of the parade route. "We could try here," she said pointing to a particular street that seemed to be just a couple blocks north. "It's towards the end of the route, but maybe then not many people will be lining up there just yet," she reasoned.

Cisco looked at the map intensely, thinking over it for a moment. "Sounds good enough to me," he said, readjusting the chairs in his arms before walking towards the designated area with Cynthia following closely behind him.

As Caitlin began to follow them, Barry appeared at her side, hands shoved into his black parka jacket, matching her pace for them to walk together. "So, uh, what made you want to do all of this?"

Caitlin shrugged, shoving her own hands into her pockets. "We always seem so busy around this time of year, but it's been quiet, so I wanted to try and do something Christmas-y."

The speedster nodded thoughtfully. "Well thanks for inviting me.".

"Of course," she responded automatically, playfully knocking into his side. "I love hanging out with you."

She noticed the tips of his ears were turning beet red. "I...I really love hanging out with you too," he responded gently, his eyes holding a sense of conviction, like he was trying to say something else too.

"Hey! You two!" they then heard from down the road. Both of the scientists snapped their heads forward to see that it was Cisco, waving his hands. "Can you pick up the pace a little?!"

.

"I think this is a good enough place," Cisco stated as he found an open spot along the street big enough for the four of them. He then unceremoniously let the chairs that he had been carrying drop with a flair.

"Cisco!" Caitlin bemoaned.

"What?!" he let out. "They're fine!"

The doctor sighed, reaching down to pick up the chairs, only then to realize that there were only two. "Why are there only two chairs?"

"They're two-seater chairs. So me and Cynthia get one," he started as he picked up one and set it up for him and his girlfriend, "and then _you_ and _Barry_ get the other," he finished simply enough, though he was smirking at her.

Caitlin squinted her eyes at him, scrutinizing every inch of his face 10 times over. Vibing may have been Cisco's thing, but when it came to Cisco, she could do a little vibing of her own after knowing him for so long; he was up to something.

"What?!" he exclaimed upon seeing her calculating eyes, acting scandalized. "These two chairs were half the price of four single ones!"

"If you don't want to share one, I can just sit on the curb," Barry quietly offered from behind her.

Caitlin whirled around to face her speedster friend. "What? No! Don't be ridiculous! I don't mind at all," she insisted, and she really didn't. It was just that, recently, it had felt harder and harder to hide her feelings for the brave forensic scientist. And while she was up for spending some quality time with him, she didn't think she'd be doing so this closely.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his eyes flickering unsurely towards Cisco before back to her.

"Of course," Caitlin let out, opening up the chair and patting the seat next to her as she sat. "I was just not expecting this. That's all," she told him, and she swore she heard Cisco snicker at that, but when she looked over, he was turned away, cozying up next to Cynthia on their own two-seater.

Barry took the offered seat next to her, and because of the lack of space, their shoulders and hips and thighs were all aligned, brushing each other with every move. She felt like every single one of her nerve ends were screaming, a pull to him so palpable. His body heat was engulfing her air, his voice sounding so clear and gentle in her ears, and a sudden aroma wafted over to her, making her think of freshly baked Snickerdoodle cookies - her favorite.

"Is that new cologne?"

Barry bashfully chuckled. "Um, yeah. I'm trying something new," he answered. "Do - do you like it?"

He was asking for her opinion? "Yeah, yeah. It smells really good, actually." She leaned closer, getting a better whiff of it. "Do I smell cinnamon? I love that smell."

"I know," he blurted out, before his eyes widened. "I just, _I remember you saying that before_ - _So do you know what kind of floats there are going to be_?" he said all rushedly, the tips of his ears reddening for the second time that night.

Caitlin's brows arched downwards at the whiplash of subjects, but proceeded to answer his question after a shake of the head. "Um, not really; it seems to change a lot from year to year. Most of them are handmade from the people of the town, supporting local charities and organizations. It looks cute from the pictures though," she said with a shrug.

"All I know about parades are from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day one that they have on TV each year," Barry admitted sheepishly. "So when I think of parades, I think of massive balloons and lip-singing."

The doctor chortled. "Yeah, I don't think there will be too much of that," she joked, and they both laughed, and Caitlin couldn't help but focus on his peaceful face, watching him watch the other parade viewers settle in their seats and at the guys walking up the road with carts filled with holiday knit knacks and food. "You've really never been to a parade before?"

His attention swiveled back to her. "No…uh..." he began with a roll of his shoulders, "It was hard to. First with my dad, since he was a doctor and always on call. And then same with Joe, but because he was a cop..."

She bobbed her head, acknowledging his statement. "Well I'm glad your first time is with me," Caitlin said innocently enough, not really thinking until she saw Barry's shy, amused smirk. "Oh, wow, that came out wrong!" she fretted.

But Barry only chuckled, purposely bumping into her shoulder. "No, it's fine. I like that you are involved in popping my parade virginity," he teased, and it made Caitlin flush from her cheeks down to the tips of her toes.

"Yes, well…" she let out breathily, before swallowing with a definitive nod. "Glad to be here."

His body shook briefly with silent laughter, flashing her a wide grin that creased the corner of his eyes and mouth. He always looked the most handsome when his smile was genuine and carefree like that. Caitlin swiftly shook her head and diverted her gaze, trying to dismiss the way he made her all giddy inside, knowing nothing was going to come of it. To distract herself, she picked up the blanket that had been left by her side and laid it out over her lap.

"Hey, do you mind sharing that blanket? I'm getting a little chilly."

"There aren't anymore blankets?" she puzzledly asked, knowing Cynthia had been the one holding the stack earlier.

Barry looked around. "Just yours and the one Cisco and Cynthia are sharing."

Her mind dinged. " _Cisco_ ," she frustratingly whispered to herself; she should've known better when Cisco said he'd handle the chair and blanket situation. "Here," she said, lifting the blanket off her lap and handing it to Barry.

The speedster immediately shook his head, trying to hand it back. "I don't want to take it from you."

"No, honestly, it's fine," she said. "I'm a metahuman with cold powers, so I don't get cold that easily, remember?"

His shoulders slouched. "Oh...right..." he said, the smile he sent her way lacking its usual authenticness as he reluctantly took the blanket.

" _Caity, Caity, Caity,"_ Killer Frost then snarkily trilled inside her head _. "Aren't you supposed to be the smart one?"_

Caitlin mentally scoffed. "What are you talking about?" she thought, conversing with Frost.

" _He's not cold either, Dr. Nimrod."_

"Then why would he…?"

" _Seems like the hero is trying to make a move,"_ she said, before grumbling ever so quietly in the recesses of their mind, _"...finally."_

The doctor's heart spiked as she looked at Barry, who had his head turned, talking to Cisco and Cynthia about something. Caitlin's teeth nawed on her bottom lip, pondering the possibilities. Was he really trying to make a move, or was he just being sweet and thoughtful Barry? She could feel Frost rolling her eyes.

"Actually, on second thought," Caitlin piped up, causing Barry to turn to her, "mind if we share that blanket after all? I - I wouldn't want people thinking I'm immune to the cold or..or they might start thinking I'm a meta or something," she said, wincing slightly at the poor excuse, but Barry didn't seem to pick up on it, or at least mind, as his eyes brightened.

"Right... _Right_!" he said, nodding along with the logic. "Good thinking."

Her face burned with a blush as Barry hurriedly spread the blanket out to cover them both. It all felt so intimate, and it made her think of crazy actions like laying her head on his shoulder. But she refrained, instead she looked forward, watching parade march by, pointedly trying to ignore her friends burning presence.

"So, did you go to parades often?" Barry asked moments later as a marching band finished their rendition of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer".

Caitlin nodded her head, a content smile creeping up on her face as the flashbacks of past parades flew by her eyes. "When was I was a little girl, there was this Christmas parade near my hometown - a lot like this one, actually."

"That must have been great."

"It was...my parents would make a whole weekend out of it - with Christmas movie marathons, baking, shopping…" she trailed off, reminiscing. "We even had these gingerbread house competitions, and oh, my..." but she trailed off, noticing that Barry was looking at her rather intently. "What? Do I have something on my face?" she suddenly asked, wiping at her cheeks self-consciously.

Barry chuckled, shaking his head amusingly. "No, no," he quickly reassured her. "Just...continue what you were saying, please."

She took a breath. "Um, I think I was just going to say that my mom was terrible at putting together the houses, and that my dad was just as bad at decorating the gingerbread houses. The man had literally no sense of design."

"Hmm." He leaned forward, tilting his head to the side as he regarded her amusingly. "And how were your gingerbread house skills?"

"Pretty good the last time I did it," she said. "Though I was like 12 at the time."

His expression turned thoughtful. "We should have a competition of our own sometime soon, because I am a master gingerbread house creator and decorator extraordinaire."

"Oh you are, are you?"

He cheekily grinned. "Oh yeah, for sure. No one ever came close."

"Was that because no one else was trying?" Caitlin quipped, causing Barry to let out a whooped laugh.

"Hey! That was mean," he said playfully indignant before he poked her in the side, causing her to squirm giggily at the action.

His eyebrows jumped up intriguingly. "Are you ticklish, Dr. Snow?" he innocently asked, but the grin threatening to overspill his face meant he already knew the answer as his hand hovered over her side.

" _Barry_ ," she started cautiously, but was soon interrupted by her own giggles as he began tickling her mercilessly.

She shrieked, barrels of laughter escaping from her throat as Barry smilingly continued. She writhed in her seat, her body folding in on herself as she tried to combat the tickles. But all of a sudden, Barry's end of the chair collapsed, making Caitlin slide down and fall on top of Barry with an 'oof'.

The speedster looked up at her with wide eyes. "Are - are you okay?"

Panting - from the tickles she just underwent and the scare of the fall - Caitlin nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. You?"

Barry nodded too, and God she could count every freckle on his ridiculously good-looking face.

"Whoa there," they then heard Cisco say, finding him standing nearby, "this is a family event, you two."

Both the scientists crinkled their foreheads puzzledly before looking down and realizing the positions they were currently in. Not only was Caitlin half straddling Barry, but his one hand was flush against one of her breasts while one of hers were near his crotch. They both immediately snatched their hands away, blushing madly as they let out a chorus of sorrys.

Caitlin quickly got up to her feet and immediately leveled her long-haired friend with a glare. " _Cisco_ ," she began gratingly, her nose flaring, "may I have a word with you?"

"What possibly - ah!" he said, yelping as she roughly snatched his arm and walked him a few paces away so that Barry couldn't hear them so clearly.

" _What are you doing?_ " she whispered to him frustratingly.

" _Trying_ to enjoy the parade!"

"More like _trying_ to embarass me in front of Barry!"

"I didn't do anything!"

She folded her arms across her chest. "So you just happened to be standing _right there_ when our chair collapsed?" she asked dubiously.

"I got up to get hot chocolate!"

"And a brand new, store-bought chair just so happened to break at that precise time?"

"I guess that's what happens when you buy cheap chairs…?" he answered with a shrug.

The doctor defeatingly sighed, seeing that she wasn't getting anywhere with the mechanical engineer. If he had done it, he wasn't going to be admitting to it any time soon. "Can you at least fix the chair then?"

He grinned. "Of course. I just so happen to have a screwdriver on me." Caitlin narrowed her eyes at him. "What? I always have one on me, and not just for when I'm planning on rigging chairs in the hopes of getting my two best friends together."

Her brain whirled, mouth sputtering. "Wait, _what?!_ "

Cisco's eyes widened. _"Imma fix that chair for you_ ," he rushedly said before scampering away.

Caitlin frowned at her friend's back. She knew he had been up to something, but to actually know that he was trying to get her and Barry together left her feeling slightly unsettled. What if Barry didn't want to be set up with her?

" _Oh, please_ ," Frost scoffed. " _The boy looks at you like you've just descended from Heaven all the damn time._ "

The doctor bristled. "No, he doesn't."

" _Look at him right this second."_

The doctor refrained from rolling her eyes as she shifted her gaze to where she last saw Barry, only for her heart to jump high in her chest when she saw him already looking her way. And as their sights caught each other, he heisently flashed her a smile, before bashfully dipping his head and averting his eyes. His ears tinged scarlet once more as he spoke to Cisco in hushed whispers, stealing glances at her every so often as he did.

" _See? He can't keep his eyes off of you."_

Caitlin swallowed. "Shut up," she told Frost before walking back over, all the while trying to calm her heart from beating itself right out of her chest, which was becoming increasingly difficult the closer she got to Barry. It didn't help that Cisco sent her a smug wink as he saw her approaching, twirling his screwdriver in hand as he waltzed back over to where he was sitting with Cynthia.

"Is it fixed?" she asked Barry, who had been standing in front of their chair, looking at it contemplatively.

Barry nodded uneasily before turning to her. "I'm still a little scared to sit on it though," he joked.

Caitlin let out a small giggle, but agreed. "I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't fixed; it's definitely something Cisco would do to further torment us."

He winced. "Yeah, about that..." he said, trailing off momentarily to rub the back of his neck, "I'm sorry."

Her eyebrows crinkled. "What are you sorry for?"

The speedster hesitantly laughed. "Cisco, um...he means well, but he's been extra persistent about something today..." Barry reluctantly detailed. "And I'm sorry if that's become somewhat of a nuisance for you."

"It's not your fault," Caitlin insisted, waving the matter off while her stomach clenched and swirled. Was Cisco being persistent towards Barry the same way he was being persistent towards her?

"I feel bad though, so let me take one for the team," he said, squatting down cautiously onto the chair. Once seated, he moved around, testing its durability. "I think we're good now," he said, looking up at her with a beaming smile that only enticed one to spring up on her own face.

"That might have been the bravest thing you've ever done," she teased as she took her seat next to him.

He let out a belly laugh. "Well, if it keeps my favorite doctor safe, it's worth it," he told her gently as he draped their blanket over their laps, like they had been before their fall, his smile towards her so soft and sheepish, leaving her endeared and entranced. No matter how hard she fought it, she fell a little more in love with him a little more and more everyday.

Barry suddenly chuckled, breaking Caitlin from her thoughts. "What?" she curiously wondered.

He merely shook his head with laughter as he hiked his thumb over his shoulder. Caitlin's eyes followed the trajectory to then see Cisco and Cynthia in a heavy liplock. And their hands, well, they were moving quite a lot under their shared blanket, and the doctor wasn't sure if she wanted to analyze that further.

"Oh my," Caitlin said, laughing as she looked away. "Well, they certainly are...in the Christmas spirit."

"That they are," Barry agreed, taking a quick look back at the duo before swiveling his attention to solely on her. "But I have to admit," he started, cocking his head to the side, looking at her a bit apprehensively before taking the plunge, "I'm kind of jealous…"

"Jealous?" she repeated laughily. "Jealous about what? Do you have the hots for Cynthia or something?" she teased.

"What? Huh? No!" Barry rapidly drilled out with wide eyes. "Not-not that Cynthia isn't a very attractive woman," he quickly amended. "It's just...I'm jealous that Cisco has someone that he can be like that with, you know?" he told her, and she couldn't help but notice his pupils were ridiculously dilated, making his beautiful emerald eyes almost as dark as the night's sky.

She bit down on her lip and she noticed his eyes flickered to the impression her teeth were making, his Adam's apple bobbing, before his gaze found hers again. Caitlin didn't need Frost's help or Cisco's prodding this time to know what Barry was really saying.

Without warning, she closed the already short gap to press a gentle peck against his mouth. "You mean like that?" Caitlin breathlessly asked, pulling away just enough to study his face.

He had a mixture of surprise and awe overtaking his features as he blearily blinked his eyes back open. "Y-yeah," he stuttered out, nodding as he looked downwards at her lips again. "Can - can we do that again though? I wasn't ready."

Her cheeks flamed as she let out a timid giggle. "Yes," she said as they smilingly leaned back into another kiss.

Barry's warm hand cupped her cheek as his warm lips moved against her own. He was just so warm, always so warm, and that warmth always melted her guarded walls and thawed out the iciness in her veins. All she wanted to do was pull him impossibly closer so that she could bask in it.

A huge wave of music then sounded from a float that had turned onto their street. It permeated into their senses and interrupted their kiss, reminding them that they were out in public. The duo begrudgingly separated, cheeks red and smiles shy.

"Maybe - maybe we should continue this later," Barry commented quietly, making Caitlin's blush deepen and her heart flutter.

"Yes, that would probably be for the best," she replied with a laugh so gleeful and pumped with happiness. She felt like she was shining as bright as the lights on the floats meandering by.

"Do you think we can go to this again next year? You know, if we have time. Because I'm really enjoying this parade thing," he said, putting his arm around her back.

She snorted as her head naturally found its way to Barry's shoulder, the cinnamon smell of his cologne pleasantly tingling her nose. "If you're serious, I would love to come back."

His hold on her tightened. "Very serious," he mumbled into her hair before nuzzling his head down against hers.

Caitlin let out a content sigh, her heart feeling big and full. "It sounds perfect."

…

"Soooooo," Cisco sang out as he sidled up next to her. The parade was over and they were all walking towards the alley they had arrived in - Barry was walking ahead, talking animatedly to Cynthia about Christmas on Earth-19, leaving Cisco to hang back with Caitlin, a smug grin taking up his face. "Do you have something to tell me?"

Caitlin gave it a second's thought before shaking her head. "Not that I can think of…"

The long-haired man visibly deflated, his lips turning downwards. "Not something about a certain speedster maybe…?" he prompted.

"Nope."

Cisco sputtered. "But - but, I saw you two. You kissed and were cuddling all throughout the parade!"

"Were we?" she asked breezily.

"Yes!" he exclaimed impatiently.

Caitlin shrugged. "You must have been looking at a weird angle."

"No, no, no," he insisted. "I know what I saw."

The doctor finally broke her facade as she smiled, letting out a laugh. "You are too easy sometimes."

"You are _so mean!_ _So cold!_ " he whined. "Why do you torture me? I have invested a lot of time into this!"

She raised a brow. "You have, have you?"

"Yes," he stated exasperatedly. "Because if I waited for you guys to get together, we'd be waiting and 5 or so years. Years, I tell you! You both needed a push!"

"Or a fall?" she suggested pointedly with an unamused purse of her lips.

Cisco nervously laughed. "Hehe, y-yeah, I thought sharing a seat and blanket would do the trick, but the chair falling, I think that was a nice touch. Definitely made sure everything was put into motion," he shared, and Caitlin snorted, causing the mechanical engineer to look at her peculiarly. "Everything is in motion, isn't it?"

The doctor looked ahead at Barry, who was still talking to Cynthia. He must of felt her gaze, however, since she soon found his eyes locked with hers, causing smiles to break out on both of their faces. He sent a wink in her direction, that left Caitlin's insides feeling fuzzy, before he turned back to his conversation with the bounty hunter. "Yeah…" she started, her lips growing into a wider grin by the second. "Yeah, things are in motion."

Cisco beamed.

"Oh, and Cisco?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you," she said graciously.

He smirked. "Told you you would say that," he told her, to which Caitlin fondly rolled her eyes at. "But you're welcome, Snow Patrol. Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Cisco."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update! (Wow, this is taking me forever to finish and I hate myself for it lol). Hope you enjoyed it! Would really appreciate comments - they are probably my main motivation to finish this series. lol.
> 
> ALSO, I uploaded a Snowbarry Valentine's oneshot titled "of disaster dates to something more," so if you haven't read that yet, give it view! :)


	11. wrapping presents

Caitlin walked into her apartment to the sounds of papers crinkling intensely and of her boyfriend quietly cursing to himself. Raising her brows, she quickly discarded her coat and purse to investigate.

"What in the world is going on in here?" she asked on her way to the living room, heels clicking against their hardwood floors, before she turned the corner. And when she entered, she couldn't contain the laugh that bubbled to the surface.

Barry looked up at her, his expression tired and vexed as she continued to laugh. "Sure, sure. Laugh at my misery," he said before glumly looking down at the object in his hand.

"I'm sorry," she apologized through her residual giggles, "but honestly, what are you doing?"

"I'm wrapping presents!"

"More like you're making a mess," she amusingly corrected, her eyes roaming over the living room. She couldn't even see their carpeted rug under the slew of wrapping paper and ribbons surrounding him.

"Joe's party is soon and I haven't had time to get everyone's presents wrapped..." he shared before trailing off, hands trying their best to hold the wrapping paper in place as he searched his surroundings for something. "Hey, do you see the tape anywhere?"

"Are you sure you didn't use it all on that gift?" she teased.

"Funny," he deadpanned, before continuing his search by throwing up the discarded strands of paper in the air, pumping his fist up as he finally found the tape dispenser. "These sides won't stay down, so I keep putting more tape on it."

"That's because you're wrapping the present with too much wrapping paper, Barry."

"I know! I know, but then when I try to cut it shorter, it just ends up being too short, and then I have to add another piece of wrapping paper on the part that's not covered, meaning more tape anyway!" He let out a defeated sigh. "Wrapping presents is impossible!"

Caitlin chuckled as she eased herself down on the ground next to him. "No, it's not," she told him, gently placing her hand over his, interlocking their fingers. "Do you want me to wrap the rest of these presents for you?"

"Please?" he said sweetly, jutting out his lower lip, making him look utterly adorable. If she hadn't suggest the idea in the first place, that look would've convinced her for sure.

She fondly rolled her eyes as she picked up one of the presents nearby. "Honestly, what did you do before? Your presents were never this badly wrapped."

"Heh," he let out, rubbing the back of his head. "I, um, well, I usually get those people at the mall to do it."

The doctor snorted. "Seriously?"

"There's a reason those places exist!" he said exasperatedly, but he was smiling just the same.

"Barry, Barry, Barry…" she said with a shake of her head. "What am I going to do with you?"

He smirked as he leaned into her personal space, his breath fanning against her cheek. "Hopefully a lot of things," he huskily whispered, comically wiggling his eyebrows.

She bit her lip humorously. "Pro tip: You'd be a lot more seductive without the tape on your cheek," she told him as she peeled it off with a giggle.

Barry exaggeratingly frowned.

"But you're still cute," she was quick to assure him, laying a sweet peck against his lips.

They separated with matching grins, before Caitlin got to work wrapping the rest of the presents. Meanwhile, Barry sat nearby, content to just watch her and hand her the occasional pair of scissors, tape, etc.

"And we're done! With just enough time to get ready and head on over to Joe's," she remarked, placing the last gift neatly in the pile with the others.

"Thank you," he told her gratefully as he got up. He then held out his hands to help her to her feet and immediately pulled her into a loving embrace, connecting their lips in a slow, languid kiss.

"Mmm," Caitlin hummed out as they parted, her hands rubbing up his chest, loving the feel of his heart beating under her palm. "So, what are you getting me for Christmas, huh?"

His lips quirked, eyes playful, as his hands roamed over her hips sensually. "I'm not going to spoil the surprise."

"Not even a little hint?" she asked. "Like was it anything I just wrapped?"

"Do you _want_ it to be something you just wrapped?" he asked humorously.

"Well, we could use the blender," she said, shrugging off-handedly.

The speedster heartily chuckled. "I'm sorry, but the blender is for Joe," he told her. "Plus, your gift doesn't need to be wrapped anyway."

"Because you're putting it in a bag?" she asked, twisting her mouth up inquisitively.

"Ohhhh, you are just full of jokes today, aren't you?" he commented lightly, his eyes so playful as he regarded her, making her spill in giggles as he briefly tickled her sides.

"How about I tell you what I want for Christmas," she told then him.

His one eyebrow peaked. "And what would that be?"

Disengaging herself from their embrace, Caitlin giddily shuffled to the other side of the room and plucked a big, red bow from the littered floor before making her way back to Barry. There, she flourishingly placed the bow in the middle of his chest and looked at him expectantly afterwards.

The speedster let out a laugh as he looked down at the bow on his sweater, and when he looked back up, catching her gaze, nothing but love was evident across his features. "Are you trying to say that you want me for Christmas?" he asked amusingly.

"Maaaaybe," she responded, her hand crawling up his chest like a spider.

Barry caught her hand gently in his, cradling it close to his heart. "What you want for Christmas is actually pretty close to what I'm getting you though," he admitted, bringing her hand to his mouth and kissing her knuckles.

She furrowed her brows. "Did you make one of those coupon books?" she guessed. "Like one is for a massage, another for breakfast in bed, etc?"

A nervous, breathy laugh slipped passed his lips. "Um, actually…" he started before clearing his throat. She could feel his body becoming a jittered mess under the surface and the doctor within her was alarmed.

"Barry, honey, are you okay?"

He immediately shook his head. "Yeah, yeah...I just," he paused to let out a pathetic huff, "I wasn't planning on giving you your gift until tomorrow, but now kind of feels... _right_ ," he said, his eyes finding hers at that last word, sending a wave of warmth to her heart.

"Caitlin... _Cait_ ," he began again, her name laced with so much affection and love, "for Christmas, I want to be yours…" he told her, his smile wavering with emotion, before he kneeled down on his one knee, "forever," he finished, his Adam's apple bobbing frantically in his throat.

Tears immediately sprung to her eyes. "Are - are you asking me to marry you?" she stutterly questioned, not entirely sure since he hasn't asked with those exact words nor had a ring - not that she needed any of that, not with Barry.

He speedily nodded his head. "Yeah, yeah, I mean, _dammit_ ," he muttered, mostly to himself. He looked back up at her, the same anxiousness rattling him. "Like I said, I hadn't planned to ask right now, and maybe I should've waited..."

"No," she softly said, slinking herself down to his level. "I like this way," she told him, a watery smile in place.

"Yeah?"

"Yes," she reaffirmed before leaning forward to kiss him, pouring out all the love and joy she felt in that moment, not even caring that the kiss was a little salty from her tears.

"Oh!" he suddenly said, ripping himself from the kiss. "The ring - the ring is in a bag, in the closet," he said, jutting his thumb over his shoulder.

And before she could say anything, he sped to the closet and back. If it hadn't been for the gust of wind that blew her hair back and the little bag now in his hand, she wouldn't have even known he left since he was in the exact same spot he had been.

Caitlin giggled through her happy tears as he pulled a dark blue velvet box out. "So my gift _was_ put in a bag after all," she pointed out.

He looked at her, smirking. "Well, if I wrapped this guy, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be able to open it," he said while opening the box to reveal the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.

"Oh, Barry…"

He licked his lips. "So, officially," he said, still smiling at her hesitantly despite already knowing her answer, "will you marry me, Dr. Snow?"

She fervently nodded. "Yes, Mr. Allen," she replied laughingly, letting Barry slide the ring on her left hand before she reached over and sealed it with a searing kiss that ended up with them rolling around in the scraps of wrapping paper still on their floor.

They were definitely going to be late to that Christmas party now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little Christmas proposal :) PLEASE COMMENT and let me know what you thought of this one-shot! I don't know you're reading and enjoying it unless you do.


	12. 2am

It was a little after 2 o'clock in the morning on Christmas Day. The streets were deserted of people and the only cars visible were the vacant ones parked in people's driveways. The air was crisp, his breath coming out in short puffs as he secured his winter coat around his frame a little tighter as he walked up to his home, eager to be in his warm house after a tiring but successful Flash mission.

He quietly unlocked the door and stepped into his home, trying to keep his actions quiet so he didn't wake up Caitlin or the kids from their slumber. The whole place was nearly pitch black, but a stream of colorful light seemed to be coming from the living room on his right, which Barry quickly surmised was probably the Christmas tree lights still on.

"That's weird," Barry mumbled to himself, knowing Caitlin religiously shut the tree lights off before she went to bed every night. But maybe Nate had been a handful getting to bed and she forgot, he reasoned. So he went to go in and shut them off for her, knowing she'd appreciate it come morning.

However, as he entered the area, his eyes immediately saw his wife peacefully sleeping on the couch. Barry's lips instantly fell open into a tender smile as he knelt down by Caitlin side, admiring her as his heart bloomed. He swore every time he looked at her, he somehow loved her more than the last.

Her nose scrunched up and she moved every so slightly in her sleep, causing a strand of her hair to fall onto her face. The speedster reached out to gently push it back to where it was, but the action unfortunately caused her to blearily open her eyes.

"Barry?" she groggily wondered, her eyes struggling to stay open to absolutely confirm it for herself.

"Yeah, it's me, Cait," he told her soothingly, reaching out to caress her face.

She dreamingly smiled, feeling his touch. "What time is it?" she asked.

"A little after 2," he answered. "What are you still doing down here, honey? You should get to bed."

With all the energy she could muster, she sat up, rubbing at her eyes. "I - I was waiting for you," she told him, yawning.

Barry fondly chuckled at his wife, finding her utterly adorable, especially in this moment. "I can see," he said, glancing at her form on the couch, "but why?"

"Because...we always put the presents out together..." she told him, her speech still a bit laggy. "It's your favorite tradition...and I didn't want that to end."

Barry quickly looked over his shoulder at the tree, and it was only then did he realize that the presents were not there. He turned back to his wife, a rush of affection overcoming him. For someone whose powers could freeze things in an instant, she nearly melted him. "You're the best. You know that?" he told her before cupping her face with his hands, pressing his lips sweetly to her forehead.

"Mmm," she hummed out. "I've been told once or twice," she answered brazeningly with a small giggle, lifting her head to look him in the eye. The Christmas lights were being reflected back in her orbs, making their sparkle just a little more magical. "Plus, I wasn't going to eat all those cookies by myself," she joked, nodding to the plate on the coffee table that was still littered with chocolate chip cookies - the ones the kids had left out for Santa.

The speedster laughed. "Well, let's get to it then," Barry said, standing to his feet and holding out his hands to help Caitlin get up from the couch.

The duo then took the next several minutes lugging the presents out of the basement and then laying them out under the tree. One side of the tree was for Nora, while the opposite side was for little Nate's gifts. The center was for the few presents Barry and Caitlin had gotten each other.

Standing in front of the tree, admiring their work, Barry put an arm around his wife's shoulders, pulling her closer to his side. "We make quite the team," he commented.

"Because we're quite the pair," she added, craning her head to look at him with a blissful smile pulling at her lips.

Barry grinned back. "That we are," he agreed as he swooped down to lay a small peck against her mouth. "Now for the cookies!" he whispered excitingly against her lips.

Caitlin let her head fall to her husband's shoulder, chuckling amusingly. "I swear, this is your favorite tradition just because it gives you an excuse to pig out on cookies."

Barry let out a small laugh as he sat down next to the coffee table, tugging Caitlin's hand for her to join him. "I also like it because it gives me some quiet, quality time with my favorite person," he shared as she took a seat next to him.

Her eyes immediately softened as she squeezed his hand. "That's why it's my favorite too."

After a moment of staring into each other's eyes lovingly, Barry tore his gaze to look at the plate of cookies. "Plus," he began, plucking one of the circular desserts and taking a bite, "mmmm, you're cookies are to die for."

She giggled at the speedster. "Nora actually helped me make them tonight."

"Oh?" Barry inquired with a raised eyebrow as he polished off another cookie.

"She claimed she was old enough and was very insistent that she help," Caitlin detailed with a good-humored shake of her head. "She's actually quite good – she picked up on everything very quickly."

"Maybe we'll have a little baker in the family," Barry mused. "I'll gladly volunteer to test out all her concoctions if that's the case. For support purposes only, of course."

" _Riiight_ ," Caitlin said, her tone humorous but also colored with disbelief, "and not at all because you have a serious sweet tooth," she pointed out, lightly swatting Barry who was already on his 5th cookie while she was still munching on her 1st.

He smirked at her, shrugging his shoulder sheepishly. "Still love me?" he asked, his mouth still slightly full with the dessert.

Caitlin rolled her eyes, but reached out to wrap her one hand around his neck, playing with the hair there. "I will always love you, sweet tooth or not."

Barry beamed. "Good," he said, before letting out a yawn.

Caitlin eyed him. "I think it's time for bed," she said, getting up from the floor. "You haven't gotten any sleep yet, mister, and you know the kids will be waking us up in a couple hours for presents."

"Okay, okay," he relented, standing up to follow his wife. However, when Caitlin was about to go up the stairs, Barry caught her hand, stilling her actions. "Wait, Cait?"

She turned around, confused. "What?"

"Thanks for waiting," he told her sincerely.

A slow and radiant smile made its way across her face before she rose to her tippy toes and laid a simple peck against his lips. "Always."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is it! It took my nearly 2 months more time, but I finished it! lol And I thought it would be nice to end this story on something short but sweet. I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you thought about it in a review! ALSO, what was your favorite one shot out of the 12?? Very curious to know!
> 
> Also, I'm going to be honest, I don't know if I'm going to write this series next year (...this year lol). It depends on the state of the show but also if I have the motivation to write them. This year it was really hard, as you can tell. So we'll see...
> 
> AS ALWAYS, THANKS FOR READING! :)


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